Please select the arm or intervention descriptions that belong to the clinical trial below.
Title: Effects of a Transitional Palliative Care Model on Patients With End-stage Heart Failure
Brief Summary: Palliative care for end-stage organ failure patients has been included as one of the key programs to be implemented in 2011-2012 in the Hospital Authority, Hong Kong. Among all the disease groups, end-stage heart failure patients have the highest mortality rate. Patients at the end stage of heart failure have health concerns shared by other end-stage patients including cancer patients. Many guidelines, local and world-wide, have advocated a palliative approach of care for those heart failure patients who are at end stage. Studies have shown that end-stage heart failure patients tend to have frequent emergency room visits and repeated hospital admissions. Also, these patients suffer from a number of health problems that adversely affect their Quality Of Life.

There is scarcity of experimental studies informing practitioners which models work best for palliative patients in Hong Kong. There were randomized controlled trials conducted outside Hong Kong which suggest multidisciplinary approach of palliative care is possible to reduce readmissions but evidence is not present for other outcomes such as symptom control and carer burden.

In an attempt to fill knowledge gap and inform practice using evidence, this study is launched to compare the effects of a customary hospital-based palliative heart failure care and an interventional Home-based Palliative heart failure Program.

Hypothesis

* there is no difference in health care utilization for end-stage heart failure patients between the customary hospital-based group and the Home based palliative heart failure program group
* there is no difference in evaluated health outcomes (functional status, symptom intensity, and satisfaction with care) between the customary hospital-based group and the Home based palliative heart failure program group
* there is no difference in perceived health outcomes (quality of life, caregiver burden) between the customary hospital-based group and the Home based palliative heart failure program group
* there is no difference in cost effectiveness between the customary hospital-based group and the Home based palliative heart failure program group
* there is no difference In patients' lived experiences between the customary hospital-based group and the Home based palliative heart failure program group


Options:
A: Arm Label: Usual Care + Transitional Care Model; Type: EXPERIMENTAL; Interventions: Behavioral: Transitional Care Model, Behavioral: Usual care | Arm Label: Usual Care; Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR; Interventions: Behavioral: Usual care | Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL; Name: Transitional Care Model; Assigned to Arm(s): Usual Care + Transitional Care Model | Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL; Name: Usual care; Assigned to Arm(s): Usual Care, Usual Care + Transitional Care Model
B: Arm Label: Home-based Palliative Care; Type: EXPERIMENTAL; Interventions: Other: Home-based palliative care | Arm Label: Enhanced Usual Care; Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR; Interventions: Other: Enhanced usual care | Intervention Type: OTHER; Name: Home-based palliative care; Assigned to Arm(s): Home-based Palliative Care | Intervention Type: OTHER; Name: Enhanced usual care; Assigned to Arm(s): Enhanced Usual Care
C: Arm Label: Early Palliative Care Referral; Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR; Interventions: Behavioral: Early Palliative Care Referral | Arm Label: Conventional Cancer Care; Type: PLACEBO_COMPARATOR; Interventions: Behavioral: Early Palliative Care Referral | Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL; Name: Early Palliative Care Referral; Assigned to Arm(s): Conventional Cancer Care, Early Palliative Care Referral
D: Arm Label: Integrated care; Type: EXPERIMENTAL; Interventions: Other: Integrated care | Arm Label: control; Type: NO_INTERVENTION; Interventions: N/A | Intervention Type: OTHER; Name: Integrated care; Assigned to Arm(s): Integrated care | Intervention Type: OTHER; Name: Integrated care; Assigned to Arm(s): Integrated care

Answer: A