Palliative Care Video-Consultations (PALL-VC)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Experiences of using video consultations in community palliative care services
IRAS ID
317768
Contact name
Katherine Frew
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Northumbria Healthcare NHS FT
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 20 days
Research summary
Research Summary:
Palliative care provision across the United Kingdom (UK) is unevenly spread, with significant geographical variation. Urban centres offer the greatest support and access to specialist palliative care; particular inequalities exist regarding access to specialist palliative inpatient care. Some inequalities arise from rural populations as well as socioeconomic deprivation. This study aims to understand the experiences of patients and their carers of using video consultations (VC) in community palliative care settings. 2 sites have been selected – one with a rural population and another with significant levels of socio-economic deprivation.
The aims are to understand experiences in order to consider whether VCs may enhance access to specialist palliative care services in populations which currently suffer from inequality in access.
In addition to considering the experiences of patients and their carers, healthcare professionals using the VCs will be interviewed. These interviews will help understanding of how healthcare professionals consider the VC modality and its use in practice. In addition, healthcare professionals will be invited to complete a questionnaire (longitudinally) to determine the extent to which VCs are integrated into their practice.Summary of Results:
In many situations, video consultations were felt to be beneficial to enable convenient and reliable access to specialist palliative care for patients living remotely. They are feasible, acceptable and practical for patients, their families and healthcare professionals. However, they must be an option to enhance care rather than replace traditional face-to-face home visits, which are required in some situations. model of care. further research is needed to explore how to ensure this increased accessibility is inclusive and does to disadvantage older patients and those of lower socio-economic position.REC name
Wales REC 4
REC reference
22/WA/0279
Date of REC Opinion
9 Nov 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion