Telehealth: rapid adoption in community palliative care due to COVID-19: patient and professional evaluation

Abstract

Background/objectiveThe COVID-19 pandemic has brought the use of telehealth to the fore, as many people have been unable to interact directly with healthcare professionals (HCP). For community palliative care (CPC) services, this has meant a sudden change from a predominantly face-to-face model of care to one that incorporates telehealth. Understanding patient and HCP experiences with telehealth and how telehealth compares to ‘usual’ care will be crucial in planning future CPC services.MethodologyAll patients of the Barwon Health CPC service between 1 April and 31 May 2020 were invited to complete a questionnaire evaluating their interactions with the palliative care service and specifically their involvement with telehealth consultations. Palliative care HCP who provided clinical services during the same time period were also surveyed.Results/conclusionSeventy-four patients (response rate 36%) and 22 HCP returned surveys. Both groups felt comfortable using telehealth, however, also encountered a range of issues when undertaking telehealth consultations. Despite reporting issues, the preference of both groups was for a CPC service model, which combined face-to-face and telehealth consultations. This study is one of the first to directly ask this question and as such provides useful guidance for health services when planning future CPC service models.

End-of-Life Experiences for Cancer Patients Dying in Hospital with COVID-19

“…Family and carers play a key supportive role as patient advocates throughout the patient's cancer journey ( 22 ). The emergence and application of virtual platforms to support communication has been more effective and more normalised since the start of the pandemic ( 23 , 24 ). Further research is needed to enable in-depth exploration of patients and families’ understanding of the diagnosis and impact of COVID-19 on their anti-cancer regimen and expected prognosis.…”

Home Palliative Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review

“… 13 , 14 Therefore, it is crucial to revisit the challenges of home palliative care during the COVID-19 with many restrictions in place and technologies on the rise. Multiple research studies have been published on challenges and opportunities of home palliative care during the COVID-19, 13 , 14 but they have not been reviewed yet. Current review articles on home palliative care during the COVID-19 pandemic are not a literature review of research articles.…”

“… 15 For example, during the pandemic, loneliness, but not internet accessibility, was reported to be a major issue in care homes, 16 while internet accessibility might be a major issue in palliative care at home. 13 , 14 In care homes, COVID-19 hit hard patients 17 while this increased risk was not an issue for home palliative care.…”

“…We included articles from different cultures and countries in order to have a broader view of this evolving field of palliative care. 13 , 14 , 18 Most of the available articles were qualitative studies, 13 , 18 and some were quantitative based on medical records. 19 Qualitative studies focused mainly on the experiences/perception of home palliative care professionals, 13 , 20 and less on the experience of patients.…”

“… 13 , 14 , 18 Most of the available articles were qualitative studies, 13 , 18 and some were quantitative based on medical records. 19 Qualitative studies focused mainly on the experiences/perception of home palliative care professionals, 13 , 20 and less on the experience of patients. 13 , 14 Consequently, the current review article aimed to answer the following questions: 1.…”