The feasibility and acceptability of an early tele-palliative care intervention to improve quality of life in heart failure patients in Iran: A protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) has become a global health problem that has affected the quality of life of millions of people. One approach to improving patients’ quality of life (QoL) with chronic diseases such as HF is palliative care. In Iran, the bulk of palliative care research is directed to patients with cancer, with the primary focus on the physical aspect rather than the psychosocial and spiritual aspects of palliative care. To address this gap, this study aims to determine the feasibility and acceptability of this early tele-palliative care intervention to improve quality of life in heart failure patients in Iran. METHODS: The early tele-palliative care versus usual care study is designed as a single-centre, randomised, feasibility trial of 50 patients with heart failure aged 18 to 65 and clinician-determined New York Heart Association class II/III or American College of Cardiology stage B/C HF, recruited in Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran, Iran. This intervention contains 6 weekly educational webinars and concurrent WhatsApp® group activities. Program feasibility and acceptability will be assessed by measuring the recruitment, attrition, and questionnaire completion rates; satisfaction and attitudes about the intervention will be measured via a telephone-based interviews. Secondary outcomes of Qol, mood status and number of emergency department visits will be measured with validated instruments. Participants in both groups will be followed up for 6 weeks, and the measures will be re-administered. Appropriate statistical tests will be used to analyse the data. CONCLUSION: This is the first early tele-palliative care intervention designed for heart failure patients in Iran. The intervention has been developed by a multidisciplinary team of academic and clinical professionals with patient stakeholder input to create a rigorous and culturally responsive approach for palliative care delivery for heart failure patients in Iran. TRIAL REGISTRATION: IRCT registration number - IRCT20100725004443N29.