Care-seeking decisions for worsening symptoms in heart failure: a qualitative metasynthesis

© 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York. Over 50 % of heart failure (HF) patients delay seeking help for worsening symptoms until these reach acute levels and require emergency hospitalisation. This metasynthesis aimed to identify and explore factors influencing timely care-seeking in patients with HF. Electronic databases searched were MEDLINE, Embase, and CINAHL. Studies were included if they were peer-reviewed journal articles, written in English, and reported perspectives of HF patients following qualitative data collection and analysis. Forty articles underwent analysis following the approach of Thomas and Harden. Leventhal’s self-regulatory model (SRM) was used to organise the literature. Much of the literature fits within the SRM; however, this model did not account for all factors that influence patients’ care-seeking for worsening symptoms. Factors not accounted for included patients’ appraisals of previous care-seeking experiences, perceived system and provider barriers to accessing care, and the influence of external appraisals. When added to factors already represented in the model, such as misattribution of symptoms, not identifying with HF diagnosis, cognitive status, lack of understanding information provided, adaptation to symptoms, and emotional responses, a more comprehensive account of patients’ decision-making was revealed. This metasynthesis identified factors, as yet unaccounted for, in a prominent model, and has suggested a more comprehensive framework for addressing care-seeking in HF patients. This information can be used to tailor education, communication, and service initiatives to improve HF patients’ responses to worsening symptoms and target those most at risk of delay

Time to re-think the terminology of heart failure?

Information should be clear, without being over-simplified and, above all, consistent. While the term ‘heart failure’ may not adequately reflect the complexity of this condition, changing the terminology may lead to further confusion. Consistency is key. Clearer communication with patients in health literate easy to understand terminology promoting shared decision-making is needed. Patients need to hear the term ‘heart failure’, understand what it doesn’t mean, how it is different to the other heart conditions, recognise their role in managing it, and understand that they can live with it for many years

Factors influencing care-seeking delay or avoidance of heart failure management: A mixed-methods study.

BACKGROUND:Delayed care-seeking for heart failure symptoms increases the risk of unplanned and frequent hospitalization. Presenting to hospital at a later stage when symptoms are severe requires more complex treatment, contributing to longer lengths of stay and higher risk of mortality. Patient-related factors such as knowledge have been highlighted as key contributors to care-seeking delay, yet little is known about how previous experiences within the healthcare setting, including relationships with providers, influence decisions to engage with health services when required. OBJECTIVE:To assess patient-related factors thought to impact care-seeking, and examine the role of previous healthcare experiences in decisions to seek or avoid professional care. DESIGN:Sequential mixed-methods study with a phenomenological approach. SETTINGS:A cardiology in-patient ward in a quaternary referral hospital in Sydney, Australia. PARTICIPANTS:A total of 72 symptomatic in-patients diagnosed with heart failure. METHODS:Self-efficacy, heart failure knowledge and health literacy were assessed quantitatively. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were undertaken with a subset of participants to elicit previous healthcare experiences and their influence on seeking care when symptoms worsened. Qualitative data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis and interpreted in the context of quantitative findings. RESULTS:Three major themes were identified that impacted decisions to seek or avoid professional care: (i) preference for continuity; (ii) previous hospital experience and; (iii) patient-provider relationships. Avoidance of care-seeking was described, despite quantitative data reflecting high levels of self-efficacy, heart failure knowledge (12.3±1.9 out of 15), and above-average health literacy levels (75% adequate - 15% higher than average in heart failure). The qualitative and quantitative data together demonstrate that participants delayed seeking care for heart failure symptoms despite having sound knowledge and self-efficacy to seek professional care when necessary. CONCLUSION:Previous healthcare experience affects patient's subsequent action, despite having skills and heart failure knowledge. Interactions with the healthcare system and those within it may impact decisions to avoid seeking treatment more than patient-related factors such as condition-specific understanding

Palliative care in chronic heart failure: a theoretically guided, qualitative meta-synthesis of decision-making.

International clinical practice guidelines recommend that patients with chronic heart failure receive timely and high-quality palliative care. However, integrating palliative care is highly variable and dependent on decision-making and care models. This meta-synthesis aimed to examine health care professionals' decision-making processes and explore factors impacting decisions to refer or deliver palliative care in chronic heart failure. The electronic databases SCOPUS, CINAHL, and Medline were searched. Included studies were those that reported health care professionals' perceptions of palliative care in chronic heart failure through qualitative data collection, were written in English, and were peer-reviewed articles. Included articles were analysed using Thomas and Harden's approach. The dual-process theory was used and applied a priori to organise the findings. The perception of palliative care as a transition and active treatment failure fit within the intuitive system of thinking in the dual-process theory. The theme that overlapped into both intuitive and analytical systems of thinking was acquiring patient and illness information themes reflecting the analytical system of thinking were professional role and experience, pre-existing decision pathways, and balancing viewpoints. This meta-synthesis identified factors influencing the decision-making process in referring patients with chronic heart failure to palliative care. The findings from this review highlight the need for further development of decision-making tools or facilitate guidelines to assist health care professionals' shared decision-making to improve patient outcomes