Why the study?
Despite high symptom burden and complex care needs in heart failure, palliative care and hospice services remain underutilized due to cultural, institutional, and knowledge-related barriers.
Does palliative care improve symptom relief and quality of life in patients with end-stage heart failure compared to usual care?
Does palliative care improve symptom relief and quality of life in patients with end-stage heart failure compared to usual care?
This guideline strongly recommends integrating palliative care for advanced heart failure patients to improve quality of life and alleviate symptoms, despite low certainty of evidence for survival benefits.
May warrant increased palliative referrals in advanced Korean HF; leaves open optimal models pending prospective implementation studies.
Heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in South Korea and imposes substantial physical, emotional, and economic burdens on patients, families, and society.Despite the high symptom burden and complex care needs of patients with HF, palliative care and hospice services remain underutilized owing to cultural, institutional, and knowledge-related barriers.This guideline from the Korean Society of Heart Failure (KSHF) provides evidence-based recommendations to integrate palliative and hospice care across the HF disease trajectory, with the aim of improving quality of life, alleviating suffering, and supporting holistic care for patients and their caregivers.
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Lee et al. (2026) conducted a review in Advanced heart failure. Palliative care and hospice vs. Usual care was evaluated. The Korean Society of Heart Failure strongly recommends integrating palliative care for patients with advanced heart failure to improve quality of life and alleviate physical and emotional suffering.
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