Supporting the Heterogeneous and Evolving Treatment Preferences of Patients With Heart Failure Through Collaborative Home‐Based Palliative Care

Abstract

Background We characterized the treatment preferences, care setting, and end‐of‐life outcomes among patients with advanced heart failure supported by a collaborative home‐based model of palliative care. Methods and results This decedent cohort study included 250 patients with advanced heart failure who received collaborative home‐based palliative care for a median duration of 1.9 months of follow‐up in Ontario, Canada, from April 2013 to July 2019. Patients were categorized into 1 of 4 groups according to their initial treatment preferences. Outcomes included location of death (out of hospital versus in hospital), changes in treatment preferences, and health service use. Among patients who initially prioritized quantity of life, 21 of 43 (48.8%) changed their treatment preferences during follow‐up (mean 0.28 changes per month). The majority of these patients changed their preferences to avoid hospitalization and focus on comfort at home (19 of 24 changes, 79%). A total of 207 of 250 (82.8%) patients experienced an out‐of‐hospital death. Patients who initially prioritized quantity of life had decreased odds of out‐of‐hospital death (versus in‐hospital death; adjusted odds ratio, 0.259 [95% CI, 0.097–0.693]) and more frequent hospitalizations (mean 0.45 hospitalizations per person‐month) compared with patients who initially prioritized quality of life at home. Conclusions Our results yield a more detailed understanding of the interaction of advanced care planning and patient preferences. Shared decision making for personalized treatment is dynamic and can be enacted earlier than at the very end of life.