This paper is in the following e-collection/theme issue:

TTRN CPH 2022: "Digital Health beyond COVID-19: Lessons Learned" (37)

Published on in Vol 8, No 1 (2022): Jan-Dec

Preprints (earlier versions) of this paper are available at https://preprints.jmir.org/preprint/41129, first published .
Telepalliation Facilitates a Sense of Security for Patients With Terminal Illnesses

Telepalliation Facilitates a Sense of Security for Patients With Terminal Illnesses

Telepalliation Facilitates a Sense of Security for Patients With Terminal Illnesses

Authors of this article:

Jarl Voss Andersen Sigaard1, 2 Author Orcid Image ;   Hanne Aagaard Christensen1 Author Orcid Image ;   Sanne Broch Skov1 Author Orcid Image ;   Laura Petrini3 Author Orcid Image ;   Nanna Celina Henneberg2 Author Orcid Image ;   Celine Bejstrup Nielsen2 Author Orcid Image ;   Birthe Dinesen2 Author Orcid Image
Article Authors Cited by Tweetations Metrics

    Abstract

    1Palliative Team, South West Jutland Hospital, Esbjerg, Denmark

    2Laboratory of Welfare Technologies – Digital Health & Rehabilitation, Sport Sciences - Performance and Technology, Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark

    3Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark

    *these authors contributed equally

    Corresponding Author:

    Jarl Voss Andersen Sigaard, MD

    Palliative Team

    South West Jutland Hospital

    Finsensgade 35

    Esbjerg, DK-6700

    Denmark

    Phone: 45 23832739

    Email: Jarl.Sigaard@rsyd.dk


    Background: Each year, an estimated 20 million people worldwide are in need of palliative care. The main diagnosis of people needing palliative care is cancer, followed by cardiovascular disease and chronical obstructive lung disease. The web-based telepalliation program and digital platform (offering video consultation, treatment planning, patient-reported outcomes, chat forum, and information on palliation) was developed through a participatory design process involving patients, their relatives, health care professionals, and researchers.

    Objective: This study aimed to pilot-test the telepalliation program during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Methods: The case study is used as the overall method for the study. The theoretical framework is the Antonovsky “Sense of Coherence” theory. A triangulation of data collection techniques was used: documents (home pages and documents on palliative care) were studied; participant observation was carried out in patients’ homes (n=16 hours); and semistructured qualitative interviews were carried out with 3 women (ages 46-73 years) and 3 men (aged 64-80 years). Of the 6 patients, 4 were diagnosed with cancer and 2 with cardiovascular diseases. The interviews were recorded and analyzed. We followed 7 subjects and conducted 6 interviews; 1 patient dropped out due fatigue.

    Results: Patients participating in the telepalliation program articulated their experiences in terms of the following themes: a sense of security; a sense of coherence; a feeling that the telepalliation platform facilitates continuity and better communication with health care professionals across sectors; a sense of easier access to the palliative team; and a feeling that their spouse and family were more integrated into the care process, because they could participate in difficult dialogues with the palliative team via video link.

    Conclusions: Preliminary findings indicate that patients participating in a telepalliation program experience a sense of security, coherence in their care process, and integrated care across sectors for the individual patients. Further research is needed on the potential benefits and drawbacks of telepalliation.

    iproc 2022;8(1):e41129

    doi:10.2196/41129

    Keywords

    telepalliation; COVID-19 

    Conflicts of Interest

    None declared.

    Edited by T Leung; This is a non–peer-reviewed article. submitted 16.07.22; accepted 19.08.22; published 25.08.22

    Copyright

    ©Jarl Voss Andersen Sigaard, Hanne Aagaard Christensen, Sanne Broch Skov, Laura Petrini, Nanna Celina Henneberg, Celine Bejstrup Nielsen, Birthe Dinesen. Originally published in Iproceedings (https://www.iproc.org), 25.08.2022.

    This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in Iproceedings, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on https://www.iproc.org/, as well as this copyright and license information must be included.