It is unclear whether specialist palliative care teleconsultation leads to an improvement in patient symptom scores

摘要

Implications for practice and research: Routine assessment of symptoms during palliative care teleconsultation is essential, but awareness to the potential for attention to symptoms to add to patients' suffering is needed. Research in palliative care needs to take into consideration the issues of recruitment/retention, and studies must be planned to ensure adequate power. Clinically meaningful endpoints for symptom measures are needed to measure both within-group and between-group change.