Attitudes and Practices of Healthcare Professionals in Palliative Care for Heart Failure

Objectives: This study explores the attitudes and practices of healthcare professionals on palliative care of patients with heart failure (HF), uncovers potential barriers and identifies possible interventions to meet the palliative care needs. Materials and Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 cardiovascular and palliative care professionals from six hospitals in Beijing, China. Purposive sampling ensured diversity in roles and clinical settings, and we used directed content analysis to analyse the data. Results: Healthcare professionals discussed their views and experiences on the timing of palliative referral for patients with HF. They stated that patient and family perceptions of illness and palliative care could influence palliative care referral and other barriers to palliative care. They also suggested that quality communication was a key to palliative care implementation. Conclusion: Hospitals should increase the building of palliative care professional teams and improve the communication skills of healthcare professionals. Palliative care related publicity and education should be carried out for patients, their families and the public to improve their cognition of palliative care. Healthcare professionals should fully assess the needs and disease progression of patients with HF and their families to better integrate palliative care at an earlier stage of disease development to improve patients' quality of life.