Abstract

Objectives To investigate the symptom clusters in patients with advanced heart failure (HF) and build the foundation for the patients symptom management. Methods A total of 290 patients with advanced HF were interviewed. The symptom profile was assessed by Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS). Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify the symptom clusters. Results The patients’ average age was (76.5 ± 7.2) years. Three distinct symptom clusters, decondition cluster (fatigue, shortness of breath drowsiness, and reduced appetite), distress cluster (anxiety and depression), and discomfort cluster (pain, nausea, and sense of generalized discomfort), were identified. These three symptom clusters accounted for 67.80% of variances of the patients’ symptom experience. The small to moderate correlations between these symptom clusters indicated that they were rather independent of one another. Conclusions This study identified the unique symptom clusters in patients with advanced HF. The results shed light on the need in developing palliative care interventions for optimizing the symptom control for this life-limiting disease. Key words: Advanced heart failure; Palliative care model; Symptom clusters; Quality of life

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