The benefits of palliative care follow-up combining day hospital and telemedicine

The objective of the present study is to evaluate the impact of remote consultations (telemedicine) conducted on a monthly basis, in conjunction with quarterly inpatient follow-ups conducted by a team specialising in palliative care for cancer patients, in terms of anticipating potential deterioration in patients general condition and enhancing their quality of life. The study also investigates whether there is a specific profile of patients who could benefit from teleconsultation and identifies patients expectations and concerns regarding teleconsultation. The study enrolled 36 patients on their initial admission to a palliative care day hospital (HDJ), and they completed a questionnaire regarding their demographics, expectations, and reservations concerning teleconsultation. Patients were then scheduled for two monthly teleconsultations and were advised to return to the HDJ at D = 3 months. However, only 13 out of the 36 patients enrolled were able to benefit from the two teleconsultations and return to the HDJ after 3 months. This finding underscores the critical issue of patients being referred to the mobile palliative care team at a late stage. Our study revealed that factors such as age, gender, socio-economic status, and pathology did not influence patient compliance or the efficacy of the teleconsultations. The study emphasised the benefits of monthly teleconsultations for the clinical and psychological management of patients, highlighting that patients had minimal negative preconceptions upon enrolment and expressed a strong desire to continue these monthly consultations after the initial 3-month period. The findings underscore the significance of leveraging teleconsultations for patients receiving palliative care in oncology, particularly in scenarios where face-to-face consultations are not feasible. Telemedicine holds immense potential to enhance the monitoring of a larger patient population, thereby promoting greater equity in healthcare delivery.