Clinicians' perspectives of pain in older adults with heart failure.
Youjeong Kang, Yong K Choi, Julie T Bidwell and 2 others
PMID 41570628WHAT IT FOUND
Heart failure clinicians often used a 1-10 pain scale, while some focused on chest discomfort and said older adults under-report pain or blame arthritis.
They rarely mentioned physical therapy and wanted heart failure-specific tools, resources, and user-friendly apps.
Key findings
01Most clinicians used a 1-10 Likert scale, while some focused mainly on chest discomfort and did not ask other pain questions.
02Clinicians described older adults as under-reporting pain, attributing it to arthritis or neuropathy, and complaining more of heart failure symptoms.
03Only three participants mentioned non-pharmacologic strategies such as physical therapy, cardiac rehabilitation, or ice/heat, and participants tended to refer non-cardiac pain to primary care or a pain clinic.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study interviewed 20 clinicians, not patients, so it describes what providers said they do and think, not observed clinical care. Fourteen of the 20 were nurse practitioners, four were physicians, and two were physician assistants; participants were recruited through listservs and the Heart Failure Society of America, so the views may not represent all heart failure clinicians. The authors note that differences in experience, training, and location may make findings inconsistently transferable, and some questions may have been interpreted differently. No patient outcomes were measured, so the study cannot show that any pain assessment tool, non-pharmacologic strategy, or technology improves pain in older adults with heart failure.
Declared interests
Participants received a $40 gift card for their time. The authors declared no competing interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that physical therapy, apps, or heart failure-specific pain tools improve pain in older adults with heart failure. This study reported clinicians' views and recommendations only; it did not test these strategies or measure patient outcomes.