Associations launch initiative to improve palliative/hospice care
LONDON: A brace of health care member associations have combined to launch a unique palliative/hospice initiative.
The American Heart Association and the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation announced plans to launch an initiative to improve quality of and access to hospice and palliative care for patients with HF.
“Too often, people with advanced cardiovascular diseases, including heart disease, heart failure and stroke, and their families are not made aware of how palliative care provides holistic support to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life,” Nancy Brown, CEO of the AHA, said in a press release. “Emergency room and hospital visits take a substantial emotional and financial toll that can be averted with patient-centered care programs administered at home and at treatment centers from hospice and advanced illness providers.”
According to the release, CV complications contribute to roughly 40% of all COVID-19-related deaths and HF is at the forefront; however, evidence indicated that patients with HF do not often receive care that aligns with evidence-based best practices (Gilstrap LG, et al. J Am Heart Assoc. 2018;doi:10.1161/JAHA.118.008789.)
Like palliative care, hospice care also aims to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life and, according to the release, too few patients with HF use these services.
NPHI is an organization that consists of more than 70 not-for-profit, community-based hospice, palliative and advanced illness care providers across the country.
“We need to close the gap for heart failure patients who can benefit from in-home hospice services,” Tom Koutsoumpas, CEO of the NPHI, said in the release. “Far too many die alone in the hospital or nursing facility when instead they could be cared for by our hospice teams wherever they reside and enjoy a far higher quality of life surrounded by loved ones.”
