Experience of caregivers and healthcare professionals using a telemedicine programme in a paediatric palliative care unit.

Abstract

Background: Telemedicine is a means of providing efficient treatment for children with complex chronic conditions and/or subsidiary palliative paediatric care.

Aim: To evaluate how satisfied families and healthcare professionals are with a telemedicine programme.

Methodology: This is a qualitative study of narrative design. Ten interviews were conducted with family members and professionals who had been using telemedicine for a year. Sampling was intentional and a discourse and content analysis was conducted.

Results: Six thematic categories emerged from the analysis of the interviews: degree of satisfaction; usefulness; benefits according to patient needs and attention; technical and human difficulties; and implantation of the system and proposals for improvement.

Conclusions: The study shows that telemedicine is a very useful complementary tool for healthcare professionals in a palliative care context. It is necessary to take into account the perception and needs of both families and healthcare professionals with regard to this tool since it can improve patient care.