Feasibility of Implementing a Palliative Care Intervention for People with Heart Failure: Learnings from a Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: People with heart failure (HF) have high morbidity and mortality and may benefit from palliative care (PC). Objective: To pilot a randomized, clinical trial of a PC intervention for people with HF. Design: Participants were randomized to usual care (UC) or intervention (UC plus specialty PC) between January 2012 and December 2013. The initial PC consultation was conducted in-hospital, with six additional contacts from the PC team over six months. Setting/Subjects: The study was undertaken in a large, urban, academic medical center with patients (n = 30) with New York Heart Association HF Class II-IV. Measurements: Patients completed a survey at baseline, three and six months, assessing pain, dyspnea, depression, and quality of life (QoL). Results: Although there were significant improvements in mean scores from baseline to six months for pain (4.3 vs. 2.4, p = 0.05), dyspnea (3.9 vs. 2.2, p = 0.03), and QoL (59.2 vs. 42.7, p = 0.001), there were no differences between study groups over time. On average, participants in the intervention group received 5 out of 6 contacts and were satisfied with the intervention. Conclusions: The intervention was well accepted by patients, safe, and feasible. Our findings suggest that PC interventions for people with HF should match the PC needs of the patient. Given the trajectory of HF, studies may need to recruit outpatients and follow patients for a longer period to fully evaluate the impact of PC interventions. Clinical trials Identifier: NCT01461681.