Application of digital technology intervention in palliative care: a scoping review

With advances in technology, digital technology has played an important role in various fields. In palliative care, the application of digital technology interventions has provided new methods for managing symptoms for patients and their families, as well as for the provision of services for healthcare workers.

To conduct a scoping review of the literature on the application of digital technology interventions in palliative care and to provide a reference for digital technology interventions and related research.

A systematic search of studies on the application of digital technology interventions in palliative care in China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, VIP, PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library was conducted, with the search period from the establishment of the databases until June 18, 2025.

Chinese or English, patients, caregivers, and healthcare workers as target populations, and the combination of digital technology intervention in palliative care, digital tools are primarily designed for web-based platforms, applications, wearable devices, virtual reality (VR), and Artificial intelligence (AI) decision tools.

Twenty-one articles were included in the analysis. In palliative care, digital technology interventions mainly include short videos, web-based platforms, and VR. The content of the intervention included health education, symptom management, and relaxation experience, and the main outcome indicators were mood, quality of life, pain, symptom-related system, and family social support. The application effect is concentrated on psychological and emotional support, quality of life, symptom improvement, and social, medical, and nursing aspects.

Technology has significant positive effects on the application of palliative care, such as alleviating negative emotions, improving quality of life, and enhancing social support. However, in the application of digital technology in palliative care, the aspects of technology that assist in the guidance of personnel and the support of social funds should be strengthened, so that the application of technology in palliative care can have broader application potential.