Enhancing palliative care for advanced cancer patients: evaluating implementation and impact of a virtual nurse-led symptom monitoring and telehealth initiative.

Abstract

Background: As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we implemented a novel nurse-led symptom monitoring and virtual telehealth program for patients with advanced cancer on palliative care.

Aims: To evaluate the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, maintenance and acceptability of our program.

Methods: This was a prospective study carried out in a cohort of patients with advanced cancer over the period of 3rd June 2020 to 22nd October 2021. Demographic characteristics, cancer diagnosis, and functional status of patients were collected upon recruitment. Patients were asked to complete a patient-reported outcome measure (the Integrated Palliative Care Outcome Scale, IPOS) prior to the first palliative care consult and subsequently every week for the duration of their participation in the program (12 weeks). The IPOS measures the severity of physical symptoms, emotional concerns, information, and financial needs. Participants' utilization of healthcare services by participants 3 months before, during and 3 months after the telemedicine program was reviewed. At the end of the program, a client satisfaction questionnaire (CSQ-4) to survey participants' experience with the telehealth program and their willingness to pay for this program was administered.

Results: Reach: The recruitment to adoption ratio of the program was 0.71. Acceptability:: Participants expressed satisfactory experience.

Effectiveness: We noted that the severity of patients' symptoms and number of emergency department visits decreased over time with nurse support. Adoption: we received referrals from 23 oncologists, yielding an adoption rate of 70%.

Implementation: Of the 99 patients recruited for the program, 88.9% of them managed to complete their initial video consults as planned. 16% of them failed to complete the program due to factors such as patient demising. Maintenance: The declining rate of IPOS completion throughout the study period (98.9% at week 1 to 60.8% at week 12) demonstrated the difficulties in sustaining regular administration of self-reported patient outcome measures.

Conclusion: The telemedicine program was effective and acceptable. We noted challenges in sustaining the administration of patient reported outcome measures over time. Further studies on how we can improve the sustainability of symptom monitoring in a telehealth program for patients with advanced illnesses, under palliative care, should be conducted.