Spirituality can improve quality of life for heart failure patients,
study finds
Spirituality screening instrument needed; researchers working now to
validate an instrument
Date:
March 28, 2022
Source:
American College of Cardiology
Summary:
Numerous studies have shown that spirituality can help
improve quality of life for people with chronic diseases like
cancer. According to a literature review, spirituality can also have
a positive impact on quality of life for heart failure patients.
FULL STORY ========================================================================== Numerous studies have shown that spirituality can help improve quality
of life for people with chronic diseases like cancer. According to a
literature review published today in JACC Heart Failure,spirituality
can also have a positive impact on quality of life for heart failure
patients. It further concludes spirituality should be considered
a potential target for palliative care interventions to improve patient-centered and clinical outcomes in these individuals.
========================================================================== "Patients who have heart failure experience a poorer quality of life
compared to their peers, with high levels of depression, anxiety
and spiritual distress," said Rachel S. Tobin, MD, resident in
Internal Medicine at Duke University Hospital, and lead author of the
study. "Contributing to diminished quality of life is the fact that heart failure, unlike many other chronic diseases, is very unpredictable and
can lead to hopelessness, isolation and altered self-image." The American College of Cardiology and other major cardiovascular societies recommend palliative care for heart failure patients. Spirituality is a core
domain of palliative care, with the goal of identifying and addressing spiritual concerns and providing patients with appropriate spiritual
and religious resources. However, limited research has been conducted
on spirituality's impact on patients with heart failure, and there are
no known tools designed to measure it.
According to the researchers, spirituality is hard to define, but
they reference several definitions that describe spirituality as how individuals find meaning and purpose in life, which can be separate from religious beliefs.
For instance, the Institute of Medicine defines spirituality as "the
needs and expectations which humans have to find meaning, purpose and
value in their life. Such needs can be specifically religious, but even
people who have no religious faith or are not members of an organized
religion have belief systems that give their lives meaning and purpose." Researchers conducted a review of 47 articles in order to explore the
current knowledge of spirituality in heart failure patients; describe associations between spirituality and quality of life, as well as patient outcomes; and propose clinical applications and future directions for spirituality in this population. There were approximately 10 varying instruments used to measure spirituality, some simple, others complex. Key
data examined include:
* In the Palliative Care in Heart Failure (PAL-HF) trial, spiritual
well-
being improved in patients randomized to a palliative care
intervention compared to usual care as evaluated by FACIT-Sp. ?The
FICA spiritual history tool was also used to gather information
on spirituality.
* Patients randomized to palliative care had increased quality of
life as
measured by Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) and
Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Palliative Care
(FACIT- Pal). They were also found to have lower levels of anxiety
and depression.
* Another study found that after a 12-week mail-based psychosocial
intervention, patients completing the intervention had higher
quality of life as measured by KCCQ, as well as less depression
and searching for meaning. Out of the 33 patients included, 85.7%
felt that the intervention was worthwhile. In a pilot study,
spiritual counseling was associated with improved quality of life,
although there was no control group to determine if the effect
was significant.
"The literature suggests not only can spirituality improve quality of
life for the patient, it can help support caregivers and potentially help
heart failure patients from needing to be readmitted to the hospital,"
Tobin said. "What we have suggested and are now doing is developing
a spirituality screening tool, similar to ones used to screen for
depression. This can be used to identify heart failure patients in
palliative care who are at risk for spiritual distress. However, this
is just a start. More research needs to be done."
========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by American_College_of_Cardiology. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Rachel S. Tobin, Michael F. Cosiano, Christopher M. O'Connor, Mona
Fiuzat, Bradi B. Granger, Joseph G. Rogers, James A. Tulsky,
Karen E.
Steinhauser, Robert J. Mentz. Spirituality in Patients With Heart
Failure. JACC: Heart Failure, 2022; DOI: 10.1016/j.jchf.2022.01.014 ==========================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220328141002.htm
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