Bringing Palliative Care To Underserved Rural Communities.
1This article is part of a series on transforming health systems published with support from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon this work, for commercial use, provided the original work is properly cited. See https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Charlotte Huff ( charlotte@charlottehuff. com ) is a health and business journalist based in Fort Worth, Texas.
Health Affairs (Project Hope)
|December 4, 2019
Summary
Palliative medicine physicians in Alabama are using home visits and technology to overcome resistance to care. This approach improves access to essential palliative services for patients in their homes.
Area of Science:
- Palliative Care Medicine
- Health Services Research
- Geriatric Medicine
Background:
- Traditional palliative care delivery models often face challenges in reaching all patients, particularly those in remote or underserved areas.
- Long-standing resistance to palliative care integration within healthcare systems can limit patient access to symptom management and supportive services.
- The Alabama palliative care initiative aimed to address these barriers through innovative service delivery.
Discussion:
- Home visits combined with telehealth technologies offer a flexible and patient-centered model for delivering palliative care.
- Physician adoption of these integrated models is crucial for overcoming systemic resistance and expanding service reach.
- Addressing physician concerns and demonstrating the value of palliative care are key to successful implementation.
Key Insights:
- Palliative medicine physicians in Alabama are successfully integrating home-based care models.
- The strategic use of modern technology, including telehealth, is facilitating this integration.
- Overcoming historical resistance is being achieved through persistent outreach and demonstrated clinical value.
Outlook:
- Expansion of home-based palliative care services across Alabama and other states is anticipated.
- Further research into the long-term impact of technology-enabled palliative care on patient outcomes and healthcare costs is warranted.
- Continued efforts to educate healthcare providers and the public about the benefits of palliative care are essential for broader adoption.
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