Primary Palliative Care in Heart Failure: A Pilot Trial
| Status: | Recruiting |
|---|---|
| Conditions: | Cardiology |
| Therapuetic Areas: | Cardiology / Vascular Diseases |
| Healthy: | No |
| Age Range: | 40 - Any |
| Updated: | 2/17/2019 |
| Start Date: | October 23, 2017 |
| End Date: | September 2019 |
| Contact: | Dio Kavalieratos, PhD |
| Email: | diok@pitt.edu |
| Phone: | 412-246-6929 |
Patients with advanced heart failure (HF) typically experience significant burdens that
negatively impact their quality of life. Although palliative care has been shown to improve
patient outcomes in other serious illnesses, insufficient data exist to support its use in
HF. Furthermore, the demand for palliative care in serious illness outstrips the available
supply of certified palliative care clinicians. This pilot trial will assess the feasibility
and acceptability of training cardiology nurses in basic palliative care skills and their
ability to deliver this care alongside usual HF management.
negatively impact their quality of life. Although palliative care has been shown to improve
patient outcomes in other serious illnesses, insufficient data exist to support its use in
HF. Furthermore, the demand for palliative care in serious illness outstrips the available
supply of certified palliative care clinicians. This pilot trial will assess the feasibility
and acceptability of training cardiology nurses in basic palliative care skills and their
ability to deliver this care alongside usual HF management.
Patients with advanced heart failure (HF) suffer from significant pain, fatigue, difficulty
breathing, anxiety, and depression. Palliative Care (PC) is a medical specialty designed to
focus on relieving patient suffering by providing an extra layer of support on top of usual
care. To date, there has been little research on the impact of PC in HF. We will conduct a
randomized clinical trial to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and perceived
effectiveness of training cardiology nurses in PC and administering PC to their patients.
Patients will be randomized into either the usual care group or the intervention group. Usual
care participants will receive their care with no alterations, and intervention participants
will receive the PC intervention from their nurse on top of their usual care. Both groups
will complete health-related surveys on tablet computers, via email, and/or via telephone. In
the intervention group, these answers will be used to tailor the intervention to the specific
patient's needs. Caregivers will also be recruited into the study, and will complete surveys
similar to the patients via the aforementioned methods.
breathing, anxiety, and depression. Palliative Care (PC) is a medical specialty designed to
focus on relieving patient suffering by providing an extra layer of support on top of usual
care. To date, there has been little research on the impact of PC in HF. We will conduct a
randomized clinical trial to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and perceived
effectiveness of training cardiology nurses in PC and administering PC to their patients.
Patients will be randomized into either the usual care group or the intervention group. Usual
care participants will receive their care with no alterations, and intervention participants
will receive the PC intervention from their nurse on top of their usual care. Both groups
will complete health-related surveys on tablet computers, via email, and/or via telephone. In
the intervention group, these answers will be used to tailor the intervention to the specific
patient's needs. Caregivers will also be recruited into the study, and will complete surveys
similar to the patients via the aforementioned methods.
Inclusion Criteria:
- New York Heart Association Class III or IV Heart Failure
- 2 or more hospitalizations in the past year due to Heart Failure
Exclusion Criteria:
- Less than 40 years old
- Currently awaiting a transplant
- Received outpatient palliative care within the past 12 months
- Pregnant or intends to be within the next 12 months
- No regular phone access
- Not fluent in English
- Failed the Callahan 6-item Screener
- Does not intent to regularly attend clinic for the next 12 months
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