e-Health in palliative care: review of literature, Google Play and App Store

摘要

Aim: To analyse the use of e-Health technologies and mobile apps in palliative care (PC). Methods: Search on PubMed, using 'telemedicine'.'ehealth','mobile health','telecare','health information systems' and'palliative care'. Original Portuguese, Spanish, French and English papers were included. Google Play and App Store (iOS) were searched for mobile apps using'palliative care', 'medical apps' and 'symptom management'. Results: Twenty-five papers and forty mobile apps were analysed. Teleconsultation is the principal e-Health technology. Mobile apps focus on communication, drugs, tools/clinical guidelines, hospice, symptom management and PC information. Conclusions: e-Health is an emergent topic in PC.Teleconsultation enhances communication among patients, families and PC teams, reinforces partnership and decreases the burden on families and use of the emergency services. Implications for practice: e-Health technologies are a good strategy in PC but further research based on different methodological approaches is needed to promote evidence-based practice. ^g>Comfort , Health information systems , Telemedicine