About the project
It is estimated that there are more than 20 million people worldwide who undergo palliative care every year. Palliative care consists of pain relief, support and guidance to promote the quality of life for patients suffering from a life-threatening illness. A study from 2019 shows that the majority of Danes want to receive palliative treatment in their own home, while a minority want the treatment in a hospice or hospital.
In order to carry out palliative care from home, we have developed a digital platform, called TelePal.dk. The platform is used to create an individual palliation process with health professionals, while also allowing phone calls and video calls with health professionals, and it contains information about the final phase of life.
The purpose of this study is to identify challenges related to palliative care as seen from the perspectives of patients, relatives and the palliative care team, and to test the telepalliative platform.
The purpose of the study is:
- To increase the quality of life, security and individualization of patients in need of palliative care and their relatives through the use of telepalliation
- To increase accessibility to the palliative team and home nursing care, prevent hospitalizations and outpatient visits
- To test and evaluate a telepalliation program based on perspectives of patients, relatives, health professionals and health economics
The project runs from 2021 to 2024.
Co-creation
We have developed the digital platform TelePal.dk and a telepalliation program in collaboration with patients undergoing palliative care, their relatives, health professions and researchers.
Target group
The target group is patients over the age of 18 who are referred to the Palliation Team at Southwest Jutland Hospital, and who have been diagnosed with cancer, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or motor neuron disease (neurological diseases).
Partners in the project
- Palliative Team, Southwest Jutland Hospital, Region of Southern Denmark
- Center for Innovative Medical Technologies (CIMT), Odense University Hospital/Svendborg, Region of Southern Denmark
- Laboratory for Welfare Technology, Department of Medicine and Health Technology, Aalborg University
Funding
The research project is financed with DKK 2.6 million from the Danish Cancer Society (Kræftens Bekæmpelse) and DKK 188,020 from Southwest Jutland Hospital in Esbjerg for equipment, and with co-financing in the form of working hours from the partners in the project. The funding is administered by the Department of Medicine and Health Technology, Aalborg University.
Contact
Professor Birthe Dinesen
Email: bid@hst.aau.dk