Systematic Review of Telehospice Telemedicine and e-Health

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Health Services Research
• Digital Health

Background:

• A previous systematic review by Oliver et al. (2012) examined telehospice research from 2000-2010.
• This study replicates and extends that review to cover the period 2010-2020.
• The aim is to assess the current evidence base for telehospice services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and synthesize research on telehospice services published between 2010 and 2020.
• To identify trends, common findings, and gaps in the telehospice literature.
• To evaluate the state of evidence regarding technology adoption, user attitudes, and patient outcomes in telehospice.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature review was conducted for articles published from 2010 to 2020.
• Included studies focused on telehospice connecting hospice professionals with caregivers and care recipients.
• The Methodological Rigor Scoring Instrument was used to assess the quality of 13 included articles (5 quantitative, 6 qualitative, 2 mixed-methods).

Main Results:

• Common findings include technology adaptation readiness for staff and caregivers.
• Telehospice often utilizes synchronous communication technologies like tablets.
• Provider and caregiver attitudes towards telehospice were largely positive, with high acceptance rates.

Conclusions:

• The past decade has seen a small but significant increase in telehospice research.
• Published research indicates high patient and caregiver satisfaction with telehospice.
• Limited findings exist on the impact of telehospice on patient clinical outcomes, an area expected to grow with increased technology adoption.