Reducing Hospital Visit Rates in Hospice Patients Using Telemedicine

Area of Science:

• Palliative Care
• Health Services Research
• Telemedicine

Background:

• Home hospice and palliative care patients often experience exacerbations requiring emergency services.
• Accessibility to healthcare providers can be a challenge for patients receiving home-based care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effect of telemedicine accessibility on emergency department (ED) visit rates in adults aged 35+ on home hospice and palliative care.
• To assess the impact of a specific telemedicine platform (Doxy.me) on healthcare utilization.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental design was used with 44 participants aged 35 and older.
• An intervention group received education on using Doxy.me for telemedicine consultations.
• Data collected included ED visits, 911 calls, and discharges/transfers for 8 weeks pre- and post-intervention.

Main Results:

• The intervention group showed a significant decrease in ED visits from 12 (54.5%) to 1 (4.5%) post-intervention.
• Emergency 911 calls also decreased significantly in the intervention group.
• Paired-samples t tests confirmed statistically significant differences in ED visits and 911 calls pre- and post-intervention.

Conclusions:

• Implementing telemedicine in hospice and palliative care settings can enhance patient clinical outcomes.
• Telemedicine applications may lead to a reduction in emergency department visit rates for palliative and hospice organizations.
• This intervention demonstrates the potential of teletechnology to improve care delivery and resource management in end-of-life care.