Health Care Professionals' Experiences and Perspectives on Using Telehealth for Home-based Palliative Care: Scoping...

Area of Science:

• Palliative Care
• Health Informatics
• Digital Health

Background:

• Home-based palliative care (HBPC) requires multidisciplinary healthcare professional (HCP) involvement.
• Telehealth offers potential benefits for HBPC, including improved access, reduced hospital admissions, and enhanced patient safety.
• HCPs' acceptance of technology is vital for successful telehealth implementation in HBPC.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically map published studies on healthcare professionals' experiences and perspectives regarding telehealth use in home-based palliative care.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review was conducted following Arksey and O'Malley's methodology.
• A systematic search of multiple databases (AMED, CINAHL, Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Web of Science) was performed for studies published between 2000 and 2022.
• Thematic synthesis was used to organize data from 29 papers (28 studies) meeting inclusion criteria.

Main Results:

• Four key themes emerged: ease of use vs. technological issues, value vs. barriers to adoption, potential for patient-reported data, and the importance of mutual trust.
• Telehealth can enhance care coordination, efficiency, and relationships, but technological challenges can undermine confidence.
• Personal and organizational barriers significantly challenge the adoption of telehealth in HBPC.

Conclusions:

• Telehealth in HBPC is feasible and offers benefits, but its adoption is complex and faces challenges related to HCP motivation and alignment with palliative care principles.
• HCPs' acceptance and motivation are key barriers to telehealth adoption; policy makers and developers must address these.
• Successful telehealth implementation in HBPC requires careful consideration of HCP perspectives and potential barriers to integration.