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Guo J, Xu X, Liu C, Wang Y, Chen Y. Perspectives of telemedicine-based services among family caregivers of patients with end-of-life cancer: a qualitative study in mainland China. BMC Palliat Care 2024; 23:16. [PMID: 38212798 PMCID: PMC10785499 DOI: 10.1186/s12904-024-01347-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite being driven by a strong sense of duty and familial obligation, providing care for patients nearing the end of life poses challenges for family caregivers. Telemedicine has rapidly gained traction as a transformative approach to healthcare delivery, offering an array of benefits that could be particularly valuable in end-of-life care. However, research on the perspectives of telemedicine-based services among family caregivers of patients with end-of-life cancer is limited. Therefore, this study aims to explore the perspectives and preferences of telemedicine-based services among family caregivers of patients with end-of-life cancer and provide a framework for developing and executing a tailored telemedicine-based end-of-life care program that addresses the unique needs of family caregivers in mainland China. METHOD A descriptive phenomenological approach was used. Family caregivers were selected using purposive sampling at a tertiary cancer hospital. One-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participants from November to December 2022. Colaizz's method was used to analyze the interviews. RESULTS Fourteen participants participated in interviews. Three themes and ten subthemes were identified: motivation to receive telemedicine services (relief from the burden of home care; access to professional health care services), supportive care needs for telemedicine services (support for symptom management; negative emotional adjustment; death education; daily life care guidance), and functional expectations of telemedicine service platforms (ease of use; real-time online guidance and response; personalized automatic reminder; targeted matching push of health knowledge). CONCLUSION Family caregivers expressed interest in telemedicine-based services and identified various care needs before receiving telemedicine services. The findings of this study can help policymakers and healthcare providers develop more effective and culturally appropriate telemedicine-based service programs that can better support family caregivers of end-of-life cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junchen Guo
- Department of Palliative Care, Hunan Cancer Hospital, No.283, Tongzipo Road, Yuelu District, Changsha, 410006, Hunan, China
- School of Nursing, University of South China, No.28, Changsheng West Road, Hengyang, 421001, Hunan, China
| | - Xianghua Xu
- Department of Palliative Care, Hunan Cancer Hospital, No.283, Tongzipo Road, Yuelu District, Changsha, 410006, Hunan, China
| | - Chaoyi Liu
- Department of Palliative Care, Hunan Cancer Hospital, No.283, Tongzipo Road, Yuelu District, Changsha, 410006, Hunan, China
| | - Ying Wang
- Department of Palliative Care, Hunan Cancer Hospital, No.283, Tongzipo Road, Yuelu District, Changsha, 410006, Hunan, China
| | - Yongyi Chen
- Department of Palliative Care, Hunan Cancer Hospital, No.283, Tongzipo Road, Yuelu District, Changsha, 410006, Hunan, China.
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Mathews JJ, Chow R, Wennberg E, Lau J, Hannon B, Zimmermann C. Telehealth palliative care interventions for patients with advanced cancer: a scoping review. Support Care Cancer 2023; 31:451. [PMID: 37421447 DOI: 10.1007/s00520-023-07907-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Telehealth allows patients to maintain contact with healthcare providers without necessitating travel, and is becoming increasingly utilized. The purpose of this study is to describe the components of telehealth palliative care interventions for patients with advanced cancer before the COVID-19 pandemic; identify any intervention components associated with improvements in outcomes; and evaluate reporting of interventions. METHODS This scoping review was registered on the Open Science Framework. We searched 5 medical databases from inception to June 19, 2020. Inclusion criteria were: age ≥ 18, advanced cancer, asynchronous or synchronous telehealth intervention, and specialized palliative care interventions in any setting. We assessed the quality of intervention reporting using the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) checklist. RESULTS Twenty-three studies met the inclusion criteria: 15 (65%) quantitative (7 randomized controlled trials, 5 feasibility trials, 3 retrospective chart reviews); 4 (17%) mixed methods, and 4 (17%) qualitative. Most quantitative and mixed methods studies were conducted in North America (12/19, 63%), reported on hybrid (in-person and telehealth) interventions (9/19, 47%), and were delivered by nurses (12/19, 63%) in the home setting (14/19, 74%). In most studies that reported improvements in patient- or caregiver-reported outcomes, the content was psychoeducational and resulted in improvements for psychological symptoms. No study provided complete reporting on all 12 TIDieR checklist items. CONCLUSION Telehealth studies are needed that reflect palliative care's mission to provide multidisciplinary team-based care that improves quality of life in diverse settings, and that provide detailed reporting of interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Jacob Mathews
- Division of Palliative Medicine, Department of Medicine and Department of Oncology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ronald Chow
- Department of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, 620 University Ave, 12-300, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2C1, Canada
- Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Erica Wennberg
- Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jenny Lau
- Department of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, 620 University Ave, 12-300, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2C1, Canada
- Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Division of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Breffni Hannon
- Department of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, 620 University Ave, 12-300, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2C1, Canada
- Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Division of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Camilla Zimmermann
- Department of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, 620 University Ave, 12-300, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2C1, Canada.
- Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- Division of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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Steindal SA, Nes AAG, Godskesen TE, Holmen H, Winger A, Österlind J, Dihle A, Klarare A. Advantages and Challenges of Using Telehealth for Home-Based Palliative Care: Systematic Mixed Studies Review. J Med Internet Res 2023; 25:e43684. [PMID: 36912876 PMCID: PMC10131904 DOI: 10.2196/43684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Owing to the increasing number of people with palliative care needs and the current shortage of health care professionals (HCPs), providing quality palliative care has become challenging. Telehealth could enable patients to spend as much time as possible at home. However, no previous systematic mixed studies reviews have synthesized evidence on patients' experiences of the advantages and challenges of telehealth in home-based palliative care. OBJECTIVE In this systematic mixed studies review, we aimed to critically appraise and synthesize the findings from studies that investigated patients' use of telehealth in home-based palliative care, focusing on the advantages and challenges experienced by patients. METHODS This is a systematic mixed studies review with a convergent design. The review is reported according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) statement. A systematic search was performed in the following databases: Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature, MEDLINE, PsycInfo, and Web of Science. The inclusion criteria were as follows: studies using quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods; studies that investigated the experience of using telehealth with follow-up from HCPs of home-based patients aged ≥18; studies published between January 2010 and June 2022; and studies published in Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, English, Portuguese, or Spanish in peer-reviewed journals. Five pairs of authors independently assessed eligibility of the studies, appraised methodological quality, and extracted data. The data were synthesized using thematic synthesis. RESULTS This systematic mixed studies review included 41 reports from 40 studies. The following 4 analytical themes were synthesized: potential for a support system and self-governance at home; visibility supports interpersonal relationships and a joint understanding of care needs; optimized information flow facilitates tailoring of remote caring practices; and technology, relationships, and complexity as perpetual obstacles in telehealth. CONCLUSIONS The advantages of telehealth were that patients experience a potential support system that could enable them to remain at home, and the visual features of telehealth enable them to build interpersonal relationships with HCPs over time. Self-reporting provides HCPs with information about symptoms and circumstances that facilitates tailoring care to specific patients. Challenges with the use of telehealth were related to barriers to technology use and inflexible reporting of complex and fluctuating symptoms and circumstances using electronic questionnaires. Few studies have included the self-reporting of existential or spiritual concerns, emotions, and well-being. Some patients perceived telehealth as intrusive and a threat to their privacy at home. To optimize the advantages and minimize the challenges with the use of telehealth in home-based palliative care, future research should include users in the design and development process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simen A Steindal
- Lovisenberg Diaconal University College, Oslo, Norway.,Institute of Nursing, Faculty of Health Studies, VID Specialized University, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Tove E Godskesen
- Department of Health Care Sciences, Palliative Research Centre, Marie Cederschiöld University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Centre for Research Ethics & Bioethics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Heidi Holmen
- Department of Nursing and Health Promotion, Faculty of Health Sciences, Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway.,The Intervention Centre, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anette Winger
- Department of Nursing and Health Promotion, Faculty of Health Sciences, Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway
| | - Jane Österlind
- Department of Health Care Sciences, Palliative Research Centre, Marie Cederschiöld University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Alfhild Dihle
- Department of Nursing and Health Promotion, Faculty of Health Sciences, Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anna Klarare
- Department of Health Care Sciences, Palliative Research Centre, Marie Cederschiöld University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Healthcare Services and e-Health, Department for Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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