Palliative Care Issues for Patients with Heart Failure by Southern California Hospital Heart Institute Medical Director
Liu et al1 report a large cohort study of palliative care (PC) consultations for 57 272 hospitalized adult patients with a diagnosis of heart failure (HF) (16, 741 patients [12.4%]) or cancer (40 ,531 patients [30.0%]), using the Palliative Care Quality Network database. A comparison of patient baseline characteristics, time to PC consultation, changes in symptom scores, care plan documentation, mortality, and hospice referrals is made between patients with HF and cancer. Liu et al1 conclude that there is an opportunity for increased and earlier involvement of PC for patients with HF.
To view the entire article, click here