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Palliation of Advanced Heart Failure

The Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing, through a local Palliative Care Grant, has supported the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital and the Brisbane Northside Health Service District to develop and test a model of care that will better meet the needs of patients with Advanced Heart Failure.  This project will develop and test models of care until March 2009.

The model of care being trialled integrates palliation of heart failure into the role of heart failure teams and treating medical teams.  Patients with Advanced Heart Failure can frequently be better managed by their current medical teams.  This project is designed to upskill the medical, nursing and allied health teams that manage patients with Advanced Heart Failure.  Staff will be trained to use a number of tools including:

1. Criteria for identifying patients who may be entering the palliative phase of their Heart Failure;
2. Protocols for cardiac cachexia, nausea, depression, volume overload, dyspnoea and fluid management;
3. Routine assessment of quality of life, symptoms and function using tools validated for end of life care;
4. Routine assessment of carer's experience of palliation;
5. Use of medicare items to promote GP involvement in palliation;
6. Tools to assist GPs and other doctors in advance care planning (such as case conferencing).

For further information contact:

Annabel Hickey
Statewide Heart Failure Services Co-ordinator
Phone:  +61 7 3139 5031
Mobile:  0402 427 049
Fax:  +61 7 3139 4426
Email:   Annabel_Hickey@health.qld.gov.au