© 2004 European Society of Cardiology
The quality of life in heart failure Just talking about it will not make it better
Department of Cardiology, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School Dundee, Scotland DD1 9SY, UK
| The first 10% of the full text of this article appears below. |
Conventional treatment does not prevent heart failure patients from having intrusive symptoms and a poor quality of life (QOL) [1,2]. Government initiatives in the UK [3,4], and more widely within Europe, the ESC Task Force Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Heart Failure [5], have published guidance to address these issues. A priority is to improve on the current figure of 20% of patients [6] prescribed the recommended drugs. However, the guidelines also stress the need for a ‘palliative care approach’ which ‘recognises the importance of promoting physical, psychosocial, and sometimes spiritual well being. It emphasises quality of life, good symptom control, a whole person approach, respect for patient autonomy and open sensitive communication’ [3]. These objectives are not fanciful but should be provided for all
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  M.J. Lenzen, W.J.M. Scholte op Reimer, and M. Komajda Differences between patients with a preserved and a depressed left ventricular function: a report from the EuroHeart Failure Survey: reply Eur. Heart J., March 1, 2005; 26(5): 526 - 526. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|