Telehealth Enhances Palliative Care Outcomes in Nursing Homes, Study Finds

Telehealth can increase access to palliative care in nursing homes (NH) and enhance outcomes for residents with serious illness, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association.

“Although limited in scope and quality, the current evidence for telehealth palliative care interventions shows promise for improving quality and outcomes of serious illness care in NHs,” wrote Lyle Walton, MD, MHSA, The University of Alabama at Birmingham and Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Birmingham, Alabama, and coauthors.

Researchers reviewed 11 eligible articles published in the US and internationally between 2008 and 2020, focusing on residents in NHs with telehealth palliative care interventionists operating remotely. Participants included NH residents, care partner(s), and NH staff/clinicians. The review aimed to gather evidence for telehealth palliative care in NHs to provide recommendations for practice, research, and policy.

Several articles identified live video as the most preferred method for delivering telehealth services, with symptom management and physical aspects of care being the most addressed issues. The articles also highlighted five patient and family-centered outcomes, including quality of life, advance care planning, health care use, and care evaluation.

Telehealth palliative care consistently increased documentation of goals of care and decreased acute care use. Technological difficulties and increased financial burden for nursing homes were common disadvantages.

“However, existing telehealth palliative care interventions may not be optimally designed to address the comprehensive palliative care needs of diverse NHs and resident populations,” wrote the study authors.

Thus, telehealth palliative care programs should incorporate input from families, NH clinicians, and staff regarding their views and preferences.

Reference

Walton L, Courtright K, Demiris G, Gorman EF, Jackson A, Carpenter JG. Telehealth palliative care in nursing homes: A scoping review. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2023;24(3):356-367.e2. doi:10.1016/j.jamda.2023.01.004