Barriers to goals of care discussions with hospitalized patients with advanced heart failure: feasibility and performance of a novel questionnaire.
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ABSTRACT: Aims
Good end-of-life communication and decision-making are important to patients with advanced heart failure (HF) and their families, but their needs remain unmet. In this pilot study, we describe the feasibility and performance of a novel questionnaire aimed at identifying barriers and solutions to improve communication and decision-making about goals of care for hospitalized patients with advanced HF.Methods
We distributed questionnaires to staff cardiologists, cardiology trainees, and cardiology nurses who provide care for HF patients at a Canadian teaching hospital. The questionnaire asked about the importance of various barriers to goals of care discussions. It also asked participants to rank their willingness to engage in goals of care discussions and their views on other clinicians could engage in such discussions.Results
Of 76 clinicians, 44 (58%) completed the questionnaire (median completion time, 17 min). Individual survey questions had few missing responses (0% to 2%) for questions about barriers to goals of care discussions. There was appreciable discrimination of the importance of different barriers (mean scores 2.2 to 6.0 on a 7-point scale). Preliminary data suggest that clinicians perceive patient and family factors, such as difficulty accepting a poor prognosis, as the most important barriers preventing goals of care discussions.Conclusions
In this pilot study, we have demonstrated the feasibility of a novel questionnaire to be used in a larger multi-centre study of end-of-life HF care. Essential information will be obtained to inform the design and evaluation of interventions that seek to improve communication and decision-making about goals of care with HF patients.
SUBMITTER: Aleksova N
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5107976 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BackgroundPrognostic awareness (PA)-the understanding of limited life expectancy-is critical for effective goals of care discussions (GOCD) in which patients discuss their goals and values in the context of their illness. Yet little is known about PA and GOCD in patients with advanced heart failure (HF). This study aims to determine the prevalence of PA among patients with advanced HF and patient characteristics associated with PA and GOCD.MethodsWe assessed the prevalence of self-reported PA and GOCD using data from a multisite communication intervention trial among patients with advanced HF with an implantable cardiac defibrillator at high risk of death.ResultsOf 377 patients (mean age 62 years, 30% female, 42% nonwhite), 78% had PA. Increasing age was a negative predictor of PA (odds ratio, 0.95 [95% CI, 0.92-0.97]; P<0.01). No other patient characteristics were associated with PA. Of those with PA, 26% had a GOCD. Higher comorbidities and prior advance directives were associated with GOCD but were of only borderline statistical significance in a fully adjusted model. Symptom severity (odds ratio, 1.77 [95% CI, 1.19-2.64]; P=0.005) remained a robust and statistically significant positive predictor of having a GOCD in the fully adjusted model.ConclusionsIn a sample of patients with advanced HF, the frequency of PA was high, but fewer patients with PA discussed their end-of-life care preferences with their physician. Improved efforts are needed to ensure all patients with advanced HF have an opportunity to have GOCD with their doctors. Clinicians may need to target older patients with HF and continue to focus on those with signs of worsening illness (higher symptoms). Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT01459744.
| S-EPMC7494630 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundAllied health care professionals can contribute meaningfully to goals-of-care discussions with seriously ill hospitalized patients and their families. We sought to explore the perspective of hospital-based allied health care professionals on their role in goals-of-care discussions and to identify barriers to their participation.MethodsWe surveyed allied health care professionals (social workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, registered dietitians, speech-language pathologists and pharmacists) on internal medicine, hematology-oncology, medical oncology and radiation oncology wards at 2 tertiary care hospitals in Hamilton, Ontario, from April 2013 to May 2014. We modified a validated questionnaire originally designed to assess barriers to discussing goals of care from the perspective of nurses, residents and staff physicians on hospital medical wards. Respondents rated the questionnaire items on a 7-point Likert scale.ResultsOf the 47 allied health care professionals invited, 32 (68%) participated: 9 physiotherapists, 7 social workers, 6 occupational therapists, 4 registered dietitians, 3 pharmacists and 2 speech-language pathologists; in 1 case, the profession was unknown. The greatest perceived barriers to engaging in goals-of-care discussions were lack of patient decision-making capacity (mean rating 5.9 [standard error (SE) 0.3]), lack of awareness of patients' previous discussions with other team members (mean rating 5.7 [SE 0.3]) and family members' difficulty accepting a poor prognosis (mean rating 5.6 [SE 0.2]). Although the respondents felt it was most acceptable for staff physicians, residents and advanced practice nurses to exchange information and reach a final decision during goals-of-care discussions, they felt it was acceptable for a broader range of allied health care professionals to initiate discussions (mean rating 4.7-5.8) and to act as decision coaches (clarifying values, weighing options) with patients and families (mean rating 5.3-6.1).InterpretationAllied health care professionals are willing to initiate goals-of-care discussions and to act as a decision coach with seriously ill hospitalized patients and their families. By improving interprofessional collaboration, we can engage the entire health care team in this process.
| S-EPMC7868088 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:Although guidelines call on clinicians to conduct regular conversations about advance care planning and end-of-life (EOL) preferences with patients with heart failure (HF), research suggests that physicians often avoid these discussions. METHODS AND RESULTS:From January 20, 2014, to January 18, 2016, Southeastern Minnesota residents hospitalized with acute decompensated HF (ADHF) at Mayo Clinic hospitals were enrolled into an observational cohort study that included the administration of face-to-face questionnaires. Risk of death (prognosis) was estimated using the Meta-analysis Global Group in Chronic Heart Failure score. Among 400 patients (mean age 77.7 years, 46% female, 48% preserved ejection fraction), only 69 (17%) reported previously discussing EOL wishes with their physician. Patients reporting EOL discussions more often had an advance directive (81% vs 66%; P?=?.009), recognized the term "hospice" (96% vs 87%; P?=?.027), and had more favorable attitudes of dying and hospice (P?=?.030). Resuscitation preferences and rates of completion of advance directives varied with prognosis, although patient-clinician EOL discussions did not. CONCLUSIONS:The majority of patients hospitalized with ADHF did not recall discussing their preferences for EOL care with their physician. This represents an important modifiable gap in the optimal longitudinal care of HF patients.
| S-EPMC5671349 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Rationale & objectiveElicitation and documentation of patient preferences is at the core of shared decision making and is particularly important among patients with high anticipated mortality. The extent to which older patients with incident kidney failure undertake such discussions with their providers is unknown and its characterization was the focus of this study.Study designRetrospective cohort study.Setting & participantsA random sample of veterans 67 years and older with incident kidney failure receiving care from the US Veterans Health Administration between 2005 and 2010.ExposuresDemographic and facility characteristics, as well as predicted 6-month mortality risk after dialysis initiation and documentation of resuscitation preferences.OutcomesDocumented discussions of dialysis treatment and supportive care.Analytical approachWe reviewed medical records over the 2 years before incident kidney failure and up to 1 year afterward to ascertain the frequency and timing of documented discussions about dialysis treatment, supportive care, and resuscitation. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with these documented discussions.ResultsThe cohort of 821 veterans had a mean age of 80.9±7.2 years, and 37.2% had a predicted 6-month mortality risk>20% with dialysis. Documented discussions addressing dialysis treatment and resuscitation were present in 55.6% and 77.1% of patients, respectively. Those addressing supportive care were present in 32.4%. The frequency of documentation varied by mortality risk and whether the patient ultimately started dialysis. In adjusted analyses, the frequency and pattern of documentation were more strongly associated with geographic location and receipt of outpatient nephrology care than with patient demographic or clinical characteristics.LimitationsDocumentation may not fully reflect the quality and content of discussions, and generalizability to nonveteran patients is limited.ConclusionsAmong older veterans with incident kidney failure, discussions of dialysis treatment are decoupled from other aspects of advance care planning and are suboptimally documented, even among patients at high risk for mortality.
| S-EPMC7781075 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundCancer is the leading cause of death in the developed world, and yet healthcare practitioners infrequently discuss goals of care (GoC) with hospitalized cancer patients. We sought to identify barriers to GoC discussions from the perspectives of staff oncologists, oncology residents, and oncology nurses.MethodsThis was a single center survey of staff oncologists, oncology residents, and inpatient oncology nurses. Barriers to GoC discussions were assessed on a 7-point Likert scale (1 = extremely unimportant; 7 = extremely important).ResultsBetween July 2013 and May 2014, of 185 eligible oncology clinicians, 30 staff oncologists, 10 oncology residents, and 28 oncology nurses returned surveys (response rate of 37%). The most important barriers to GoC discussions were patient and family factors. They included family members' difficulty accepting poor prognoses (mean score 5.9, 95% CI [5.7, 6.2]), lack of family agreement in the goals of care (mean score 5.8, 95% CI [5.5, 6.1]), difficulty understanding the limitations of life-sustaining treatments (mean score 5.8, 95% CI [5.6, 6.1]), lack of patients' capacity to make goals of care decisions (mean score 5.7, 95% CI [5.5, 6.0]), and language barriers (mean score 5.7, 95% CI [5.4, 5.9]). Participants viewed system factors and healthcare provider factors as less important barriers.ConclusionsOncology practitioners perceive patient and family factors as the most limiting barriers to GoC discussions. Our findings underscore the need for oncology clinicians to be equipped with strong communication skills to help patients and families navigate GoC discussions.
| S-EPMC6368724 | biostudies-literature
Project description:AimsCardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) provides parameters such as peak VO2 and ventilation/CO2 production (VE/VCO2) slope, which are strong prognostic predictors in patients with stable advanced chronic heart failure (ADHF). The study aim was to evaluate the effects of the inodilator levosimendan on CPET in patients with ADHF under stable clinical conditions.Methods and resultsWe enrolled patients with ADHF (peak VO2 < 12 mL/min/kg) in a double-blind, placebo-controlled protocol. Patients were randomly assigned to i.v. infusion of placebo (500 mL 5% glucose; n = 19) or levosimendan (in 500 mL 5% glucose; n = 23). Before and 24 h after the end of the infusion, patients underwent determination of New York Heart Association class, B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), haemoglobin, serum creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen levels, as well as CPET, standard spirometry, and alveolar capillary gas diffusion. BNP showed no change with placebo (1042 ± 811 to 1043 ± 867 pg/mL), but it was decreased with levosimendan (1163 ± 897 to 509 ± 543 pg/mL, P < 0.001). No changes were observed for haemoglobin, creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen in either group. With levosimendan, a minor improvement was observed in spirometry measurements, but not in alveolar capillary gas diffusion. Peak VO2 showed a small, non-significant increase with placebo (9.5 ± 1.7 to 10.0 ± 2.1 mL/kg/min, P = 0.12), and a greater increase with levosimendan (9.8 ± 1.7 to 11.0 ± 1.9 mL/kg/min, P < 0.005). The VE/VCO2 slope showed no change (44.0 ± 11 vs. 43.4 ± 10.3, P = 0.44), and a decrease (41.9 ± 10 vs. 36.6 ± 6.4, P < 0.001) in the placebo and in the levosimendan group, respectively.ConclusionLevosimendan treatment significantly improves peak VO2 and reduces VE/VCO2 slope and BNP in patients with ADHF.
| S-EPMC5042087 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundDietary sodium excess and malnutrition have been associated with poor outcomes in heart failure (HF). Few previous studies have examined the barriers to following a low-sodium, nutritionally robust diet in hospitalized patients with HF.Methods and resultsAs part of a dietary intervention pilot study, 76 inpatients with HF (age 71?±?8 years, 30% female, 30% black, 36% Hispanic/Latino) completed 2 questionnaires, the Dietary Sodium Restriction Questionnaire (DSRQ) and the Brief Dietary Psychosocial Scale (BDPS), to assess challenges in following a low-sodium, nutritionally complete diet. We assessed the factor structure of the DSRQ and BDPS with confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis (CFA and EFA). CFA did not support the established 3-factor solution for the DSRQ; instead, EFA indicated that a 2-factor solution (subjective norms/attitudes and perceived behavioral control) provided the best fit for the data. EFA supported 4 separate factors for the BDPS, as in its original derivation. Cronbach's alphas supported internal consistency reliability for both scales (DSRQ: 0.85-0.94; BDPS: 0.72-0.95).ConclusionsIn a mixed-ethnicity group of hospitalized older patients with HF, the DSRQ and BDPS have reasonable psychometric properties. These questionnaires may help identify barriers to healthy dietary practices and facilitate nutritional interventions in this high-risk population.
| S-EPMC7078057 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are relevant independent outcomes in heart failure (HF) care and are predictive of subsequent hospitalization and death in HF. The Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) and the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) are the 2 most widely adopted PROMs specific to HF. We compared their prognostic abilities in a prospective cohort of HF patients. A prospective cohort of subjects from a single-center registry was analyzed with regard to baseline KCCQ and MLHFQ scores and the outcomes of death, transplant, or left ventricular assist device implantation and hospitalization. A total of 516 subjects with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFrEF) and 151 subjects with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (HFpEF) were included. Discrimination was assessed using c-statistics based on time-to-event analyses and receiver-operator curves. The additive contribution of MLHFQ was assessed through the change in c-statistic, incremental discrimination index, and category-free net reclassification index. Overall, KCCQ was superior to MLHFQ for predicting death/transplant/ventricular assist device (c-statistic 0.702 [0.666 to 0.738] and 0.658 [0.621 to 0.695] respectively, p value for difference <0.001) and hospitalization (c-statistic 0.640 [0.613 to 0.666] and 0.624 [0.597 to 0.651], respectively, p value for difference 0.022). However, this difference was statistically nonsignificant in the HFpEF group alone. When analyzing the additional prognostic information afforded by adding MLHFQ to KCCQ in the overall, HFrEF, and HFpEF groups there was no significant improvement, although adding KCCQ to MLHFQ did significantly improve risk stratification. Scoring based upon the abbreviated KCCQ-12 did not reduce the prognostic accuracy of KCCQ. In conclusion, KCCQ is more prognostic of death/transplant/left ventricular assist device and hospitalization than MLHFQ in a combined cohort of patients with HFrEF and HFpEF, although the effect in HFpEF was less pronounced. KCCQ should be the preferred PROM for patients with HF if prognostication is a desired goal of using the PROMs.
| S-EPMC6814384 | biostudies-literature
Project description:AimsThe aim of this pilot study was to investigate the safety, feasibility, tolerability, and acceptability of an assisted mobilization of advanced heart failure patients, using a lightweight, exoskeleton-type robot (Myosuit, MyoSwiss AG, Zurich, Switzerland).Methods and resultsTwenty patients in functional NYHA class III performed activities of daily life (ADL, n = 10) or participated in a single, standardized, 60 min rehabilitation exercise unit (REU, n = 10) with and without the Myosuit. The outcome assessment included the evaluation of vital signs, adverse events, rates of perceived exertion and dyspnoea (RPE, RPD), the ability to perform ADL or REU, and the individual acceptability. The mean age of the subjects was 49.4 (±11.0) years; 80% were male. The mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 22.1% (±7.4%) and the median NT-proBNP 2054 pg/mL (IQR 677, 3270 pg/mL). In all patients, mobilization with the Myosuit was feasible independently or with minor support. The mean individual difference in the total walking distance of the patients without and with robotic assistance was -26.5 m (95% confidence interval (CI) -142 to 78 m, P = 0.241). No adverse events occurred. RPE and RPD showed no significant difference with or without the device (ADL: RPE -0.1 m, 95% CI -1.42 to 1.62, P = 0.932 and RPD -0.95 m, 95% CI -0.38 to 2.28, P = 0.141; REU: RPE 1.1 m, 95% CI -2.90 to 0.70, P = 0.201 and RPD 0.5 m, 95% CI -2.02 to 1.02, P = 0.435). All median responses in the acceptability questionnaire were positive. The patients felt safe and enjoyed the experience; 85% would be interested in participating in robot-assisted training on a regular basis.ConclusionThis feasibility pilot trial provides first indications that a robotic exoskeleton-assisted mobilization of patients with advanced heart failure is safe, feasible, well-tolerated, and well-accepted. The results are highly encouraging to further pursue this innovative approach in rehabilitation programmes. This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04839133.
| S-EPMC9065814 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundDespite potential harm that can result from polypharmacy, real-world data on polypharmacy in the setting of heart failure (HF) are limited. We sought to address this knowledge gap by studying older adults hospitalized for HF derived from the REGARDS study (Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke).MethodsWe examined 558 older adults aged ≥65 years with adjudicated HF hospitalizations from 380 hospitals across the United States. We collected and examined data from the REGARDS baseline assessment, medical charts from HF-adjudicated hospitalizations, the American Hospital Association annual survey database, and Medicare's Hospital Compare website. We counted the number of medications taken at hospital admission and discharge; and classified each medication as HF-related, non-HF cardiovascular-related, or noncardiovascular-related.ResultsThe vast majority of participants (84% at admission and 95% at discharge) took ≥5 medications; and 42% at admission and 55% at discharge took ≥10 medications. The prevalence of taking ≥10 medications (polypharmacy) increased over the study period. As the number of total medications increased, the number of noncardiovascular medications increased more rapidly than the number of HF-related or non-HF cardiovascular medications.ConclusionsDefining polypharmacy as taking ≥10 medications might be more ideal in the HF population as most patients already take ≥5 medications. Polypharmacy is common both at admission and hospital discharge, and its prevalence is rising over time. The majority of medications taken by older adults with HF are noncardiovascular medications. There is a need to develop strategies that can mitigate the negative effects of polypharmacy among older adults with HF.
| S-EPMC8819498 | biostudies-literature