In the public eye, palliative care is often associated with the final stage of life. In reality, however, it is far more than end-of-life care. Modern palliative care does not begin only when a disease is considered incurable and death is imminent. Rather, it aims to alleviate suffering early on, manage symptoms, and support patients and their families throughout what is often a long course of illness. This process often spans weeks or months. An international group of authors led by physicians from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) now demonstrates in a comprehensive review that this understanding has not yet been sufficiently established, particularly in cardiovascular medicine. The study has now been published in the renowned European Heart Journal and is based on the analysis of over 1,000 scientific publications and datasets.

Digital CBT treatment reduced cardiac-related anxiety and improved patients' quality of life and physical function after a heart attack. This is shown in a new randomised study published in Journal of the American College of Cardiology, in which researchers at Karolinska Institutet compared digital CBT with standard care.