Use of Online Communications to Support Patients and Their Families in the Hospice Unit

Overview

The increasing awareness of the importance of palliative care has led, in Israel, to the 2005 Law for the Rights of Persons with Terminal Illness. Still, problems of accessibility to palliative care remain unresolved. The use of e-health services is likely to expand the ability of the medical, psychosocial and nursing staff to reach patients who are either living in the periphery, are unable to make clinic visits or whose family members are housebound in order to be caregivers. This exploratory research is designed to explore the issues, barriers and advantages of e-health care through the perspective of the palliative care staff members, the patients themselves and their caregiving family members.

This study is designed to test the applicability and suitability of e-health services (e.g. by use of SKYPE) to the psychosocial needs of patients and their families who are getting services through home hospice care. In addition, the attitudes of the hospice staff will be investigated to the use of e-health methods. The study will clarify selection criteria, referral pathways and barriers and/or supporting elements that will allow e-health services to be provided in a highly professional fashion. Up to 20 dyads of a patient and their primary caregiver will be recruited from those who are receiving services from the home hospice unit of the Kupat Holim Clalit (General Sick Fund) in the South of Israel.

Conditions