Digital health interventions in palliative care: a systematic meta-review

Abstract Digital health interventions (DHIs) have the potential to improve the accessibility and effectiveness of palliative care but heterogeneity amongst existing systematic reviews presents a challenge for evidence synthesis. This meta-review applied a structured search of ten databases from 2006...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Anne M. Finucane, Hannah O’Donnell, Jean Lugton, Tilly Gibson-Watt, Connie Swenson, Claudia Pagliari
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2021-04-01
Series:npj Digital Medicine
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-021-00430-7
Description
Summary:Abstract Digital health interventions (DHIs) have the potential to improve the accessibility and effectiveness of palliative care but heterogeneity amongst existing systematic reviews presents a challenge for evidence synthesis. This meta-review applied a structured search of ten databases from 2006 to 2020, revealing 21 relevant systematic reviews, encompassing 332 publications. Interventions delivered via videoconferencing (17%), electronic healthcare records (16%) and phone (13%) were most frequently described in studies within reviews. DHIs were typically used in palliative care for education (20%), symptom management (15%), decision-making (13%), information provision or management (13%) and communication (9%). Across all reviews, mostly positive impacts were reported on education, information sharing, decision-making, communication and costs. Impacts on quality of life and physical and psychological symptoms were inconclusive. Applying AMSTAR 2 criteria, most reviews were judged as low quality as they lacked a protocol or did not consider risk of bias, so findings need to be interpreted with caution.
ISSN:2398-6352