Experiences with Telehealth for Outpatient Palliative Care: Findings from a Mixed-Methods Study of Patients and Providers across the United States

Abstract

Background:

The COVID-19 pandemic introduced a rapid adoption and scale-up of telehealth for palliative care services in the United Sates.

Objectives:

To examine and compare in-person versus telehealth experience among outpatient palliative care programs and patients.

Design:

Mixed-methods study (1) comparing patient experience survey data received between September 2020 and February 2021 from patients who received only in-person care versus those who received only telehealth and (2) qualitative interviews with outpatient palliative care providers. Data for this study were collected as part of a larger effort to develop quality measures for outpatient palliative care in the United States.

Setting/Subjects:

Outpatient palliative care patients and programs.

Measurements:

We measured patients' experiences of “feeling heard and understood” by their palliative care provider and team and their overall rating of their provider and team. We also conducted in-depth semistructured interviews with 47 palliative care providers across 25 outpatient palliative care programs.

Results:

Of 1753 patient experience surveys, 26% reflected telehealth only versus 74% in-person only. Patients in both groups reported highly positive experiences; there were no differences in “feeling heard and understood” or the overall ratings of the provider and team between the telehealth-only and in-person-only groups. Palliative care program leaders described the benefits and challenges of telehealth, including increased efficiency, the ability to incorporate family members, and challenges conducting a physical examination.

Conclusion:

Data from this study provide preliminary evidence of overall positive experiences of telehealth for outpatient palliative care among patients and providers; future research is needed to examine the sustainability of telehealth for palliative care.