The scientific statement from the American Heart Association reviews current evidence on the benefits and risks of cardiovascular and palliative medications, providing guidance to health care professionals on how to incorporate palliative therapies into a multidisciplinary, holistic treatment approach that emphasizes shared decision-making and goal-focused care. It published Monday in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. "Given the complexities of medication management in people with heart disease, a team-based approach is urged," including cardiologists, primary and palliative care health professionals, writing group chair Dr.
Katherine E. Di Palo said in a news release . She is senior director of Transitional Care Excellence at Montefiore Medical Center and an assistant professor of medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City.
Palliative care complements medical care by providing relief from the symptoms and stress of a serious illness. It is not a treatment for the illness itself. Studies have shown that integrating palliative care into a person's evidence-based treatment plan can improve quality of life, reduce depression and anxiety, improve spiritual well-being and lower the risk for hospital readmission for people with advanced heart disease.
However, few people may be receiving this type of care, which can be provided at any stage of cardiovascular disease. For instance, the report cited a study published in JAMA Cardiology in 2016 th.