Review article: a model of palliative care for heart failure.
The heart failure illness trajectory is both complex and unpredictable, which makes providing palliative care services to patients with heart failure a challenge. As a result, although services are needed, few tend to be offered beyond basic medical management. The traditional model of palliative care is typically based on palliative care being considered a system of care delivery most appropriate for patients with a predictable illness/death trajectory, such as terminal cancer. This type of model, which is based on the ability to predict the course of a terminal disease, does not fit the heart failure trajectory. In this article, we propose a new model of palliative care that conceptualizes palliative care as a philosophy of care that encompasses the unpredictable nature of heart failure.
College of Medicine, The Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, USA. jxh37@psu.edu
Judith E
JE
Hupcey
Janice
J
Penrod
Kimberly
K
Fenstermacher
D018450:Disease Progression; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D010166:Palliative Care; D011379:Prognosis; D013727:Terminal Care