HEART STRONG: AI-Integrated Emotional Wellness in Heart Failure Care

by Mark D. Lerner, Ph.D.

Chairman, The National Center for Emotional Wellness

Creator & Principal Consultant, AI-Integrated Emotional Wellness

While the physical effects of heart failure are routinely addressed, the emotional journey experienced by patients and their loved ones is often overlooked. Physical symptoms and lifestyle changes can lead to emotional distress, including anxiety and depression, and these challenges can profoundly impact a patient’s healing and overall functioning. AI-Integrated Emotional Wellness provides hope for managing the challenges patients and their loved ones experience.

AI-Integrated Emotional Wellness (AIEW) refers to the broad interface between the cognitive abilities of artificial intelligence and the complexity of human emotion. Acknowledging the irreplaceable importance of authentic, in-person communication, AIEW focuses on how artificial intelligence can foster emotional well-being. For patients experiencing heart failure, AIEW can provide personalized support, monitor emotional states, provide virtual companionship, and offer practical evidence-based interventions.

Research has demonstrated the emotional distress and functional impairment experienced by heart failure patients. Given the significant emotional burden of heart failure, AIEW can play a critical role in identifying patients at risk, prompting early intervention, and potentially reducing hospitalizations and premature deaths. Utilizing AIEW strategies, patients and families can receive comprehensive care for the “whole person.”

AIEW can also be beneficial to patients’ families experiencing the secondary traumatization associated with witnessing their loved one grappling with heart failure. It can provide immediate support and timely coping strategies.

Beyond loved ones, caregivers play a crucial role in the well-being of heart failure patients and often experience vicarious challenges themselves. AIEW can help alleviate the caregiver burden by providing interactive educational and decision-making support.

Ultimately, AIEW can address the needs of patients, their loved ones, and caregivers, fostering a holistic approach to managing heart failure. The utilization of AIEW and traditional medical care holds promise for improving outcomes in heart failure.

With the implementation of AIEW with traditional medical care, we can foster a more compassionate and comprehensive Heart Strong approach to heart failure management—one that supports patients, families, and caregivers alike.

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