Psychological distress in heart failure patients isn’t just emotional- it’s costly, increasing hospital visits and medical bills significantly.
- Heart failure (HF) patients with psychological distress have higher ER visits, hospital stays, and medical costs
- Factors like smoking, comorbidities, and sleep disorders increase the risk of psychological distress in HF patients
- Holistic healthcare approaches addressing mental health could improve outcomes and reduce costs
Psychological distress in heart failure patients: Implications for healthcare utilization and expenditure
Go to source). This finding is based on an examination of Medical Expenditure Panel Survey household component (MEPS-HC) data from January 2016 to December 2021 for persons over the age of 18 who have been diagnosed with heart failure. Psychological distress was assessed using the Kessler 6 questionnaire, which has been validated to correspond with clinically significant psychological distress at 1- and 12-month intervals following an initial evaluation.
Stress can be as damaging to heart failure patients as smoking! It increases hospital visits, worsens health outcomes, and raises medical costs. #heartfailure #mindbodyconnection #medindia’





Psychological Well-Being Affects Medical Expenses in Heart Failure Patients
The main result was the variation in medical costs between HF patients who experienced psychological distress and those who did not. Of the 10,681,886 patients in the analysis, 729,333 (6.8%) experienced psychological distress. Their average age was 69.9 years, with women making up 50%, white people making up 70.4%, and Black people making up 16.8%.After adjustment, patients with HF who smoked (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.87; 95% CI, 1.31-6.27; P <.01), had more comorbidities (aOR, 3.05; 95% CI, 1.09-8.49; P =.03), and had sleep disorders (aOR, 2.82; 95% CI, 1.46-5.45; P <.01) were significantly more likely to experience psychological distress.
Individuals with HF who exercised (aOR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.17-0.92), had higher education (aOR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.81-0.98), and came from middle- or high-income families (aOR, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.08-0.48) were less likely to experience psychological distress (aOR, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.06-0.64).
Hidden Cost of Psychological Distress in Heart Failure Patients
The adjusted mean difference between patients with HF and psychological distress and those without was 0.07 visits (95% CI, 0.01-0.13; P <.01), indicating considerably higher health care usage and more frequent annual ER visits (median, 2) from the former group. With an adjusted mean difference of 0.2 hospital discharges (95% CI, 0.04-0.36; P =.01), the frequency of hospital discharges was also substantially higher for individuals with psychological distress (median, 2) compared to the nondistressed group (median 1). Patients with psychological discomfort also spent significantly more nights in the hospital.With a median of $23,599 compared to $16,810 for nondistressed patients, patients with HF and psychological distress had substantially higher yearly total expenses; the adjusted mean difference was $14,709 (95% CI, $4559-$24,859; P <.01). With an adjusted mean difference of $6014 (95% CI, $950-$11,077; P =.02), the psychological distress group's annual inpatient expenses were considerably higher than those of the nondistressed group.
Patients with HF had a higher frequency of psychological discomfort (6.8%) than patients without HF (2.2%).
Need for Holistic Care in Heart Failure Patients
The MEPS dataset's lack of comprehensive information on the etiology, stages, and type of heart failure was one of the study's limitations. Additionally, rates of drug compliance were not assessed.The researchers noted, "These findings indicate that there is a need for holistic health care approaches that address the psychological well-being of HF patients in addition to the disease management of HF."
Reference:
- Psychological distress in heart failure patients: Implications for healthcare utilization and expenditure - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39523929/#)
Source-Medindia