Pain Assessment, Incidence & Nature in Heart Failure

Heart failure, a chronic illness afflicting 5 million persons in the United States is known to cause shortness of breath and fatigue, yet at least half of persons with heart failure also report the presence of pain. The cause of pain for these persons is not clear. PAIN-HF (Pain Assessment, Incidence \& Nature in Heart Failure), conducted through the Palliative Care-Heart Failure Education And Research Trials (PC-HEART) collaborative will identify the prevalence of pain, its location, severity and impact on activities and the possible causes of pain in persons living with heart failure. The study will also try to understand relationships between other problems and pain, as well as what treatments are given to reduce pain. Understanding sources of pain and its characteristics is the first step in helping health care providers better manage pain and related problems in persons with heart failure.