Designing clinically valuable telehealth resources: processes to develop a community-based palliative care prototype

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Digital Health
• Palliative Care

Background:

• Increasing healthcare demands due to demographic shifts and disease patterns.
• Telehealth offers a solution for community-based care, reducing hospital strain and supporting home-based patient preferences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the development process of a prototype telehealth intervention for community-based palliative care patients.
• To support patients receiving care from a palliative care service in their homes.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Center for eHealth Research (CeHRes) framework to review telehealth prototype development.
• Mapped project activities to the first four CeHRes phases: project management, contextual inquiry, value specification, and design.
• Project developed under the Telehealth in the Home initiative in South Australia.

Main Results:

• Identified and addressed significant issues during concept and prototype development.
• The CeHRes approach revealed diverse participant and stakeholder views.
• Continuous engagement facilitated issue resolution and incorporation into the design.

Conclusions:

• The CeHRes model facilitated improved telehealth prototype solutions by addressing differing values and beliefs.
• Collaboration enhanced participant interaction and exchange.
• Resulted in a more useful and clinically valuable telehealth prototype for palliative care.