Technology-enhanced Transitional Care for Rural Palliative Care Patients: A Pilot Study

The purpose of the proposed research is to design and evaluate a technology enhanced transitional palliative care (TPC) intervention for patients living in rural locations. The contributions of the proposed research are expected to address the gap in palliative care services and transitions of care for rural patients. This research is significant because it addresses the challenges of three independently important health care foci - needs of rural patients, care transitions, and the evolving field of palliative care. The study will not simply address the critical barrier imposed by distance, but also extend PC practice by improving transition management for the impending dramatic increase in seriously ill and dying patients in rural areas through evolving demographic shifts. The goal of the proposed research is to advance the development of transitional care strategies for rural PC patients and caregivers, and provide evidence of new ways to support continuity of care for patients with life-limiting conditions.

The study is guided by the "Transitional Care Model" or "TCM" as developed by Naylor which combines quality, cost, and satisfaction. The TCM has a solid evidence base from more than 15 years of multidisciplinary research. Unique features of the model include care that is delivered and coordinated by the same nurse across hospital and home settings 7 days per week for an average of 2 to 3 months using evidence-based protocols with a focus on long term outcomes. Core components of the model include a holistic, person/family centered approach and protocol guided care. The nurse functions as part of an interdisciplinary team with shared accountability, however, the nurse is the single "point person" across an episode of care providing the vital link from hospital to home. Inherent within the model is shared communication systems that span care settings.

A randomized control trial design will be used. Community dwelling adult patients and their caregivers who receive a palliative care consult while hospitalized in the hospital will be enrolled in the study, then randomized to group membership and followed for a total of 8 weeks after hospital discharge. Following a detailed protocol for TPC, the intervention group will receive weekly video session visits (using computer software that allows audio/visual contact through the computer screen) by the study nurse. The investigators will determine the feasibility and acceptability of the TPC intervention and study methods and procedures when engaging palliative care patients and their caregivers. The investigators will compare patient and caregiver reported outcomes and determine effect size for patients receiving technology-enhanced TPC (intervention group) to patients in the control group, and they will explore the impact of the technology-enhanced TPC intervention on health care service utilization.