Effectiveness of and implementation requirements for telehealth in palliative care patients with advanced cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Telehealth is being integrated with palliative care for patients with advanced cancer to improve access to specialized palliative care. However, its effectiveness and implementation requirements in palliative care remain unclear. Aim: This study evaluates the effectiveness of and impleme...

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Publicado en:Palliative Medicine Vol. 40; no. 5; pp. 588 - 608
Autores principales: Kawashima, Arisa, Noguchi, Taiji, Furukawa, Taiki, Unesoko, Akiko, Togashi, Shintaro, Sato, Kazuki
Formato: meta analysis research systematic review tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: Sage Publications Inc. May2026
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: May2026
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      pub: Sage Publications Inc.
      place: Thousand Oaks, California
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        atl: Effectiveness of and implementation requirements for telehealth in palliative care patients with advanced cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
      aug:
        au:
          Kawashima, Arisa
          Noguchi, Taiji
          Furukawa, Taiki
          Unesoko, Akiko
          Togashi, Shintaro
          Sato, Kazuki
        affil: Division of Integrated Health Sciences, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan
      sug:
        subj:
          Telehealth
          Palliative Care
          Cancer Patients Psychosocial Factors
          Implementation Science
          Outcomes (Health Care)
          Quality of Life
          Symptom Burden
          Depression
          Funding Source
          Human
          Systematic Review
          Meta Analysis
          Medline
          Embase
          Cochrane Library
          Checklists
          Descriptive Statistics
          Confidence Intervals
          Health Services Accessibility
          Multidisciplinary Care Team
          Digital Health
          Reimbursement Mechanisms
          Outcome Assessment
          Data Analysis Software
          Holistic Care
          Lung Neoplasms
          Breast Neoplasms
          Colorectal Neoplasms
          Functional Status
      ab: Background: Telehealth is being integrated with palliative care for patients with advanced cancer to improve access to specialized palliative care. However, its effectiveness and implementation requirements in palliative care remain unclear. Aim: This study evaluates the effectiveness of and implementation requirements for telehealth in palliative care patients with advanced cancer. Design: This was designed as a systematic review and meta-analysis with narrative synthesis (registered; CRD42024581786). The effects on patients' quality of life, symptom burden, and depression were analyzed using a random-effects meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. A narrative synthesis was conducted for all included studies. Data sources: MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched in September 2025. Eligible studies comprised controlled trials, observational studies, and qualitative studies involving adults with advanced cancer who received telehealth in palliative care. Results: Of the 4232 records screened, 42 met the inclusion criteria, and six were eligible for meta-analysis. Telehealth interventions primarily involved videoconferencing, telephone, or text-based communication. Telehealth in palliative care demonstrated significant improvement in quality of life (standardized mean difference: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.09-1.53) and reduction in symptom burden (standardized mean difference: −1.44; 95% CI: −2.24 to −0.65) but had no significant effects on depression. Implementation requirements included trained multiprofessional teams, accessible digital infrastructure, sustainable reimbursement mechanisms, and standardized outcome measurements. Conclusions: Telehealth in palliative care may help improve quality of life and alleviate symptom burden among patients with advanced cancer. Future research should identify optimal delivery models and examine equity-related barriers to support wider implementation and policy development.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        meta analysis
        research
        systematic review
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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