Outcomes of Symptom Management among Patients Receiving In-home Visit of Palliative Telemedicine System During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Authors

  • Paengpan Sribunlue Palliative Nursing Unit, Srinagarind Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University
  • Sriveing Pirojkul Karunruk Palliative Care Center, Srinagarind Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University
  • Parichart Piasupan Palliative Nursing Unit, Srinagarind Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University
  • Natchaya Bualakorn Palliative Nursing Unit, Srinagarind Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University

Keywords:

Palliative care; Telemedicine; Pain reduction; Dyspnea reduction

Abstract

Background and objective: Karunruk Palliative Care Center had developed a home visit system with the interprofessional team to support palliative care at home since 2010. After the Coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic in 2020, patients and their families cannot access the traditional home visit system, especially in an emergency. Accordingly, Karunruk Palliative Care Center integrated a home visit system by implementing telemedicine in December 2020. The researchers wanted to study the outcomes of symptom management of palliative patients who received telemedicine home visits in such situations to develop a quality palliative care system in the future.

Methods: A retrospective study of outcomes of symptom management among patients receiving  in-home visit of  palliative telemedicine system during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The data of 73 patients were collected from 1 January 2021 to 30 June 2021 and analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results: Symptom management outcomes of palliative patients receiving telemedicine home visits during the COVID-19 pandemic, 73 patients received 142 telemedicine home visits, as a result, 93.93% of patients with moderate to severe pain scales decreased ≥ 50% within 24-48 hours, 96.67% of patients with moderate to severe dyspnea scales decreased ≥ 50% within 24-48 hours, and reduced readmission by 68.49%.

Conclusion: Nurses play an important role in the management of palliative patients who receive telemedicine home visits during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in better symptom management and reduced pain, dyspnea, and readmission.

References

1. Doyle D and Jeffrey D. Palliative care in the home. New York, Oxford University Press Inc., 2007: 112-31.
2. ศรีเวียง ไพโรจน์กุล, ปาริชาติ เพียสุพรรณ์, แพงพรรณ เท่าสาร. การวางแผนจำหน่ายผู้ป่วยที่ได้รับการดูแลแบบประคับประคอง. ขอนแก่น: ศูนย์การุณรักษ์ โรงพยาบาลศรีนครินทร์ คณะแพทยศาสตร์ มหาวิทยาลัยขอนแก่น; 2554.
3. ปาริชาติ เพียสุพรรณ์. การดูแลผู้ป่วยแบบประคับประคองที่บ้าน. The Dawn of Palliative Care in Thailand. กรุงเทพฯ : บริษัท บียอนด์ เอ็นเทอร์ไพรซ์ จำกัด; 2556: 77-90.
4. Chang HT, Chen CK, Lin MH, Chou P, Chen TJ, Hwang SJ. Readmissions in Cancer Patients After Receiving Inpatient Palliative Care in Taiwan: a 9-year Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study. Medicine (Baltimore) 2016; 95(8):e2782. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000002782.
5. ศูนย์การุณรักษ์ โรงพยาบาลศรีนครินทร์. สถิติผู้ป่วยปี พ.ศ. 2561-63. ขอนแก่น : คณะแพทยศาสตร์ มหาวิทยาลัยขอนแก่น.
6. ศรีเวียง ไพโรจน์กุล. Palliative Care in COVID-19 Pandemic. ขอนแก่น: สมาคมบริบาลผู้ป่วยระยะท้ายและราชวิทยาลัยเวชศาสตร์ครอบครัวแห่งประเทศไทย.ขอนแก่น : คลังนานาวิทยา; 2563: 91-2.
7. ศูนย์การุณรักษ์ โรงพยาบาลศรีนครินทร์. สถิติผู้ป่วยปี พ.ศ. 2564. ขอนแก่น : คณะแพทยศาสตร์ มหาวิทยาลัยขอนแก่น.
8. Wayne WD. Biostatistics: A Foundation of Analysis in the Health Sciences (6th ed.). John Wiley&Sons, Inc., 1995: 180.
9. Kamal A H, Maguire JM, Wheeler JL, Currow DC, Abernethy AP. Dyspnea review for the palliative care professional : Treatment goals and therapeutic options. J Palliat Med 2012; 15(1): 106-14.
10. Chutima Tianthong, Sriveing Pirojkul and Parichart Piasupan. Readmission of Palliative Patients at Karunruk Palliative Care Center, Srinagarind Hospital. Srinagarind Med J 2021; 36(4): 469-73.
11. Zheng Y, Head BA, Schapmire TJ. A Systematic Review of Telehealth in Palliative Care: Caregiver Outcomes. Telemed J E Health 2016; 22(4): 288-94. doi: 10.1089/tmj.2015.0090. Epub 2015 Sep 11. PMID: 26360181.
12. Ranganathan A, Dougherty M, Waite D, Casarett D. Can palliative home care reduce 30-day readmissions? Results of a propensity score matched cohort study. J Palliat Med 2013; 16(10): 1290–3.

Published

2022-02-28

How to Cite

1.
Sribunlue P, Pirojkul S, Piasupan P, Bualakorn N. Outcomes of Symptom Management among Patients Receiving In-home Visit of Palliative Telemedicine System During the COVID-19 Pandemic . SRIMEDJ [Internet]. 2022 Feb. 28 [cited 2024 Jul. 1];37(1):76-81. Available from: https://li01.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/SRIMEDJ/article/view/252885

Issue

Section

Original Articles