Tools to help healthcare professionals recognize palliative care needs in patients with advanced heart failure: A systematic review

S.M.C. Ament*, I.M.E. Couwenberg, J.J.J. Boyne, J. Kleijnen, H.E.J.H. Stoffers, M.H.J. van den Beuken, Y. Engels, L. Bellersen, D.J.A. Janssen

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal(Systematic) Review article peer-review

Abstract

Background:The delivery of palliative care interventions is not widely integrated in chronic heart failure care as the recognition of palliative care needs is perceived as difficult. Tools may facilitate healthcare professionals to identify patients with palliative care needs in advanced chronic heart failure.Aim:To identify tools to help healthcare professionals recognize palliative care needs in patients with advanced chronic heart failure.Design:This systematic review was registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42019131896). Evidence of tools' development, evaluation, feasibility, and implementation was sought and described.Data sources:Electronic searches to identify references of tools published until June 2019 were conducted in MEDLINE, CINAHL, and EMBASE. Hand-searching of references and citations was undertaken. Based on the identified tools, a second electronic search until September 2019 was performed to check whether all evidence about these tools in the context of chronic heart failure was included.Results:Nineteen studies described a total of seven tools. The tools varied in purpose, intended user and properties. The tools have been validated to a limited extent in the context of chronic heart failure and palliative care. Different health care professionals applied the tools in various settings at different moments of the care process. Guidance and instruction about how to apply the tool revealed to be relevant but may be not enough for uptake. Spiritual care needs were perceived as difficult to assess.Conclusion:Seven tools were identified which showed different and limited levels of validity in the context of palliative care and chronic heart failure.
Original languageEnglish
Article number0269216320963941
Pages (from-to)45-58
Number of pages14
JournalPalliative Medicine
Volume35
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2021

Keywords

  • advanced stage
  • assessment
  • cancer
  • disease
  • end
  • end of life care
  • heart failure
  • identifying patients
  • knowledge translation
  • palliative care needs
  • people
  • quality-of-life
  • reported outcome intervention
  • screening tool
  • surprise question
  • symptom burden
  • systematic review
  • unmet needs
  • UNMET NEEDS
  • Systematic review
  • CANCER
  • IDENTIFYING PATIENTS
  • QUALITY-OF-LIFE
  • SURPRISE QUESTION
  • REPORTED OUTCOME INTERVENTION
  • SYMPTOM BURDEN
  • DISEASE
  • PEOPLE
  • END

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