Telenursing in hospice palliative care

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Palliative Care
• Telehealth

Background:

• Advanced illness often requires home-based care, leaving patients and families without support after regular office hours.
• Existing healthcare systems may not adequately address the after-hours needs of dying patients and their caregivers.
• Caregiver burden and symptom management challenges are significant concerns in end-of-life home care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe an innovative partnership providing after-hours palliative care access.
• To outline how technology facilitated the integration of tele-triage services with specialized palliative care.
• To evaluate the impact of this integrated model on patient symptom management and family support.

Main Methods:

• A collaboration between B.C. NurseLine, the British Columbia Ministry of Health, and Fraser Health Hospice Palliative Care program.
• Leveraging information and communications technology to merge tele-triage capacity with community-based palliative care expertise.
• Establishing after-hours access to specialized support for patients nearing end-of-life at home.

Main Results:

• Improved symptom management for home-based palliative care patients.
• Decreased emergency room visits for patients receiving after-hours support.
• Enhanced support and resources for family caregivers managing loved ones at home.
• Demonstrated successful integration of telehealth and specialized palliative care services.

Conclusions:

• Partnerships leveraging technology can significantly improve after-hours palliative care.
• Telehealth integration enhances symptom control, reduces hospitalizations, and supports families.
• This model offers a sustainable approach to future home-based end-of-life care, with valuable lessons for nursing professionals.