Table 5 Barriers to palliative care

…patients and relatives are not sufficiently informed about the severity and the prognosis of CHF.

142 (81.1 %)

…physicians and nurses have an information deficit about content and possibilities of palliative care.

141 (80.6 %)

…it is easier to continue with an existing therapy than to discuss a change of the therapy’s aim with the patient.

132 (75.4 %)

…patients have a degree of reluctance in accepting that life is limited.

130 (74.3 %)

…in our society dying is a taboo subject.

128 (73.1 %)

…there are different attitudes between the different medical disciplines (cardiology, general medicine, internal medicine, palliative care medicine) regarding therapy of patients with heart failure.

127 (72.6 %)

…relatives want everything possible to be done.

125 (71.4 %)

..the creeping course of the disease does not look threatening.

124 (70.9 %)

…palliative care medicine mainly focuses on oncological patients.

115 (65.7 %)

..there are different attitudes between the different medical professions (nurses, physicians) regarding therapy of patients with heart failure.

112 (64.0 %)

…physicians/nurses do not have a palliative care contact person when needed.

111 (63.4 %)

…patients put palliative care medicine on the same level as euthanasia.

103 (58.9 %)

…patients want everything possible to be done.

101 (57.7 %)

… a lot of physicians perceive palliative care as a defeat.

86 (49.1 %)

…no palliative care approach exist for patients with heart failure.

76 (43.4 %)

…the medical team is not conscious of the severity and progression of CHF.

66 (37.7 %)

…funding for palliative care is not available.

64 (36.6 %)

…palliative care medicine is perceived to be in competition with cardiology/general medicine, internal medicine.

63 (36.0 %)