The role of telemedicine in enhancing palliative care for older adults: opportunities and challenges.

BACKGROUND AND

OBJECTIVE

Telemedicine holds promise for older adults with chronic and complex conditions, particularly those in need of palliative care. However, more information is needed about the perceptions of patients and their caregivers regarding this technology for providing care. Therefore, this study aims to explore the experience of non-oncologic older adult patients in palliative care with telemedicine.

METHODS

We followed Arksey and O'Malley's five-stage scoping review approach and conducted searches in Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. Key concepts included: "telemedicine" or "telehealth"; "elderly" or "old age" or "geriatric"; "palliative care" and NO "cancer" and were included articles written in English or Portuguese from the last five years.

RESULTS

Eighteen articles were included out of 137 abstracts selected. Most studies focused on elderly individuals in homebound settings, nursing homes, or long-term care facilities. The experiences reported in many articles were positive, with patients and caregivers expressing a willingness to use telemedicine. It was particularly convenient for patients in rural areas. However, several barriers were identified, such as difficulties in using and accessing technology and concerns about privacy, influencing the willingness to use telemedicine.

CONCLUSIONS

Telemedicine can be beneficial in the care of older adults with non-oncologic chronic disease, multimorbidity, and life-threatening conditions. Nevertheless, understanding this barrier and searching for solutions from the patients' perspectives is essential for integrating telemedicine into their care. More studies involving older adults palliative care patients are needed to explore this area further.