Can you hear me now?: Improving palliative care access through telehealth.
Kristen Allen Watts, Emily Malone, J Nicholas Dionne-Odom and 7 others
PMID 33393704WHAT IT FOUND
Telephone and video palliative care programs reach rural and home patients, including nurse-led coaching, but this overview says evidence for widespread benefit is limited.
Key findings
01One early palliative care model uses an in-person assessment followed by six weekly nurse-led telephone coaching sessions.
02A telephone palliative care help line met the needs of 873 patients with COVID-19 over four weeks.
03The review states that evidence for widespread feasibility and efficacy of telehealth in palliative care is limited.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The overview is non-exhaustive and relies partly on press releases and websites for newer programs. Several described programs are pilots or ongoing trials, so they do not establish effectiveness. The review says evidence for widespread feasibility and efficacy is limited. State-by-state regulations and reimbursement were changing, so practice may differ by location. Technology failures, privacy, language barriers, and lack of devices could worsen disparities.
Declared interests
The article states that no significant relationships exist between the other authors and the companies or organizations mentioned. The paper is listed as supported by NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research. It describes programs supported by PCORI, NIH, Cambia Health Foundation, and The Duke Endowment.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat this overview as proof that telehealth palliative care improves outcomes. It selected examples rather than reviewing all studies, and it says evidence for widespread feasibility and efficacy is limited.