What is the purpose of using prognostic risk tools to determine whether to refer a person with heart failure to palliative care services?
Prognostic risk tools should not be used to determine whether to refer a person with heart failure to palliative care services. Rather, discussion of a person's palliative care needs should take place with the specialist heart failure MDT if the symptoms of a person with heart failure are worsening despite optimal specialist treatment, and consideration should be given to a needs assessment for palliative care. People with heart failure and their families or carers should also have access to professionals with palliative care skills within the heart failure team.