Technology to Support Older Adults in Home Palliative Care: A Scoping Review.
Ilaria Basile, Letteria Consolo, Stella Colombo and 3 others
PMID 37473720WHAT IT FOUND
Older adults in home palliative care used tablets, smartphones, video calls and symptom diaries.
Most rated them feasible and helpful for reporting symptoms, but small screens, poor internet and loss of touch were barriers.
Key findings
01Tablets and smartphones were the most frequently reported devices, and included studies used them for video calls, symptom diaries and real-time pain or symptom reporting.
02Patients in included studies reported better symptom communication when using self-report tools, and overall satisfaction was common.
03Common barriers were small screens, poor internet, technical problems and limited technology experience; caregiver support and training helped.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The review did not formally assess study quality, so the included studies may not be reliable. Only 4 of the 14 included studies focused exclusively on older adults. Many included studies were small feasibility, descriptive or case studies rather than trials testing whether technology improves palliative care. The technologies, settings, diagnoses and outcomes varied widely, so the review cannot say which device or feature produced any effect. The review excluded telephone-only and email-only studies, so it does not cover common simple remote contact.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest and received no financial support for the research, authorship or publication.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that technology improves end-of-life care. The review did not assess study quality or pool outcomes, and many included studies were small feasibility or descriptive studies.