title: Palliative Care in Heart Failure.
abstract: The number of patients with heart failure is growing; the associated morbidity and mortality remains dismal. Advance care planning, end-of-life conversations, and palliative care referrals are appropriate, but do not occur regularly. Palliative care focuses on patients and families from diagnosis, to hospice, death, and bereavement. It is delivered as basic palliative care by all providers and by specialty-certified palliative care specialists. Nurses are well-positioned to provide basic. Nurses are also instrumental in initiating referrals to the specialized palliative care team as the patient's needs become too complex or the disease progresses and the patient approaches the end of life.
authors.affiliation: The Pennsylvania State University College of Nursing, 1300 ASB/A110, 90 Hope Drive, Hershey, PA 17033, USA. Electronic address: jhupcey@psu.edu.
authors.forename: Judith E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Hupcey
authors.affiliation: The Pennsylvania State University College of Nursing, Nursing Sciences Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kitko
authors.affiliation: The Pennsylvania State University College of Nursing, 1300 ASB/A110, 90 Hope Drive, Hershey, PA 17033, USA.
authors.forename: Windy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Alonso
mesh_terms: D032722:Advance Care Planning; D001601:Bereavement; D003142:Communication; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000401:mortality*; D017051:Hospice Care; D064946:Hospice and Palliative Care Nursing; D006801:Humans; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000523:psychology
keywords: End of life; Family caregivers; Heart failure; Palliative care