Patients with heart failure have multifaceted needs that could be better addressed with stronger palliative care collaborations, recent research has found.
Integrating palliative care (PC) services alongside heart failure (HF) management has been associated with improved patient satisfaction and symptom control, as well as more informed decision-making processes throughout the disease trajectory.
This according to recent research published in the medical journal Cureus. The analysis included a two-phase systematic review of multiple studies from across the globe published in various medical databases between 2000 and 2025. Researchers analyzed the commonalities in care delivery approaches among heart failure patients who had simultaneously received palliative care, advance care planning services and symptom management.
“These recent studies underscore its growing significance in improving patient outcomes, emphasizing the urgent need for PC integration to alleviate symptom burden, enhance quality of life and optimize care delivery,” researchers wrote in the analysis. “Moreover, due to the global burden of heart failure, it is urgent to understand the best methods for integrating palliative care to alleviate the strain on health and human resources
One study in the analysis found that 39% of heart failure patients receiving palliative care experienced “substantial enhancements” after six months of treatment. Quality of life scores among these patients improved by roughly 12.92 points, a higher increase compared to others.
Patients who received home-based heart failure management alongside palliative care services also had fewer rehospitalizations over a six-month period compared to others. These patients also reported “significant improvements” in coping mechanisms, improved emotional well-being and better communication with their health care providers, the research analysis found.
Palliative care plays a “crucial role” in addressing patients’ specific heart failure-related symptom burden, the researchers noted. Integrating these services can aid in goal-concordant care delivery, improved caregiver assistance and overall management of emotional, spiritual and physical symptoms, the analysis found.
Models that integrated palliative care services into heart failure treatments were also associated with the alleviation of various symptoms such as fatigue, dyspnea, depression, edema, anxiety, confusion, anorexia and insomnia, among others. Additionally, more of these patients had also completed some type of advance care planning documentation that outlined their preferences and goals of care.
“Evidence suggests that multidisciplinary PC models, including home-based and telehealth interventions, effectively alleviate symptom distress and facilitate advance care planning, aligning treatment with patient goals,” the researchers wrote. “Given the growing body of research advocating for PC in HF, structured guidelines, including referral criteria, integration into HF guidelines, and the timing of introduction, as well as broader clinical adoption, are necessary to maximize its benefits in this high-burden population.”
Demand for greater care coordination is growing on global and national levels.
Heart failure impacts nearly 6.7 million adults in the United States, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported. About 13.9% of the country’s overall population died from this disease in 2022, with heart failure care costs reaching an estimated $30.7 billion in 2012, the CDC report found.
Worldwide, approximately 64.34 million individuals have heart failure, according to a report from the AME Medical Journal. Associated health care expenditures for these individuals is roughly $346.17 billion in U.S. dollars.
Persisting challenges preventing the growth of PC and HF integration include limited clinical resources, inconsistent referral patterns and a lack of standardized implementation, the researchers indicated.
“Targeted training interventions for the cardiology and generalist teams will equip them with basic PC skills, thereby mitigating the limitations resulting from shortages in specialists,” the researchers stated. “Moreover, standardized referral criteria, integration of telehealth-based PC models, and screening tools for timely identification of PC requirements are essential to improving access to PC and reducing care delivery disparities.”
