Spirituality can better quality of life in people with heart failure, says study

Spirituality has the potential to help the quality of life not just in regular individuals but also for those suffering from heart-related ailments. In fact, spirituality has long-term potential for palliative care interventions that improve clinical outcomes in patients.

It was earlier established that spirituality can improve the quality of life for people with chronic conditions such as cancer. The new study led by Duke University School of Medicine finds that spirituality should be the way of living for patients with heart failure.

Rachel S. Tobin, the study’s lead author and a resident in Internal Medicine at Duke University Hospital finds that patients who have gone through heart failure worsening heart conditions experience a poorer quality of life compared to their peers, with high levels of anxiety, depression, and distress.

Moreover, heart failure, unlike many other chronic diseases, is unpredictable and can lead to isolation, hopelessness, and altered self-image, he added. All these factors contribute to diminished quality of life.

The literature review was conducted on 47 articles to explore the role of spirituality in heart failure patients and it was found that searching for purpose, and value in life is crucial for such patients.

Researchers also noticed spiritual counseling as palliative care has often been associated with decreased levels of anxiety and depression, thus playing a key role in improving the lives of these individuals. Spirituality can also support caregivers of patients with heart failure and protect heart failure patients from needing to be admitted to the hospital again.

The lead author pressed on developing a spirituality screening tool, similar to ones used to screen for depression to know which patients in palliative care are at risk for spiritual distress.  However, more research needs to be done in this area, he added.