Medical College of Wisconsin
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Objectifying the Subjective: The Use of Heart Rate Variability as a Psychosocial Symptom Biomarker in Hospice and Palliative Care Research. J Pain Symptom Manage 2021 Sep;62(3):e315-e321

Date

05/03/2021

Pubmed ID

33933615

Pubmed Central ID

PMC8418996

DOI

10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2021.04.015

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-85107617513 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   5 Citations

Abstract

Measuring psychosocial symptoms in hospice and palliative care research is critical to understanding the patient and caregiver experience. Subjective patient-reported outcome tools have been the primary method for collecting these data in palliative care, and the growing field of biobehavioral research offers new tools that could deepen our understanding of psychosocial symptomatology. Here we describe one psychosocial biomarker, heart rate variability (HRV), and simple techniques for measurement in an adolescent and young adult cancer population that are applicable to palliative care studies. Complementing self-reported measures with objective biomarkers like HRV could facilitate a more nuanced understanding of physiologic and perceived well-being in patients with serious or life-limiting illness and inform future "precision supportive care" in hospice and palliative medicine.

Author List

Taylor MR, Scott SR, Steineck A, Rosenberg AR

Author

Angela S. Steineck MD Assistant Professor in the Pediatrics department at Medical College of Wisconsin




MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adolescent
Biomarkers
Heart Rate
Hospice Care
Hospices
Humans
Palliative Care
Young Adult