Patients’ Experiences of Telehealth in Palliative Home Care: Scoping Review

TLDR

Telehealth is increasingly used in home care and could support the needs of home‑based palliative patients, yet no scoping review has mapped its use in this setting. This study aimed to map and assess published research on telehealth for palliative home‑care patients and to identify gaps for future investigation. A scoping review was conducted following Arksey and O'Malley’s framework, guided by PRISMA‑ScR, with a systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and CINAHL from 2000–2018 and independent screening and data extraction by two authors. The review included 19 studies (22 papers) and identified four themes—ease of use, visual features enhancing communication, symptom/self‑management promotion, and perceived improved home care—showing telehealth is feasible and improves access and security, though evidence on symptom relief and quality of life remains mixed.

Abstract

Telehealth is increasingly being used in home care and could be one measure to support the needs of home-based patients receiving palliative care. However, no previous scoping review has mapped existing studies on the use of telehealth for patients in palliative home care.The aim of this study was to map and assess published studies on the use of telehealth for patients in palliative home care.A scoping review was conducted using the methodological framework of Arksey and O'Malley. Reporting was guided by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews. A systematic and comprehensive search of Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health was performed for studies published between January 2000 and October 2018. Two authors independently assessed eligibility and extracted data.The review included 22 papers from 19 studies. Four thematic groupings were identified among the included papers: easy and effortless use of telehealth regardless of the current health condition, visual features that enhance communication and care via telehealth, symptom management and self-management promotion by telehealth, and perceptions of improved palliative care at home.The use of telehealth in palliative home care seems to be feasible, improving access to health care professionals at home and enhancing feelings of security and safety. The visual features of telehealth seem to allow a genuine relationship with health care professionals. However, there are contradicting results on whether the use of telehealth improves burdensome symptoms and quality of life. Future research should investigate the experiences of using telehealth among patients with life-limiting illness other than cancer and patients aged 85 years or older. More research is needed to increase the body of knowledge regarding the effectiveness of telehealth on symptoms and quality of life.