Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use among Heart Failure Patients in the Deep South

Despite advancements in heart failure (HF) diagnostics and treatment, many palliative care patients with HF often seek complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to improve quality of life and address unmet physical and emotional needs. This study aimed to explore the prevalence and patterns of CAM use among HF patients in a large academic medical ambulatory HF clinic in Alabama.

This cross-sectional, descriptive study included HF patients from the University of Alabama at Birmingham HF clinic. Data collection involved CAM-related questions from the National Health Interview Survey, the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire, and sociodemographic variables. Descriptive statistics were computed for all study variables, and analyses were conducted using SPSS.

Among 250 HF participants, 49 (19.6%) reported CAM use. The mean age of CAM users was 65 years (±14.76). Most CAM users were White (69%), male (63%), married or partnered (60%), had some college education (67%), and identified as Protestant (22%). The mean Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire clinical summary score among CAM users was 54.48. Herbal products and dietary supplements were the most common CAM forms (57%). Of the CAM users, 53% discussed CAM with their healthcare providers, and 43% obtained CAM information from them. Regarding reasons for CAM use, 44.1% used it for pain relief, 29.4% for specific conditions, 20.6% for overall wellness, and 17.6% to complement conventional medicine; 15% cited multiple reasons. No significant sociodemographic predictors of CAM use were found.

CAM prevalence among HF patients in this cohort was relatively low compared with other populations. Herbal products and dietary supplements were the most common forms of CAM used. Further research is needed to assess the safety and efficacy of CAM, particularly herbal products and dietary supplements, in patients with HF.