1 Academic Unit of Palliative Care, Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, University of Leeds, UK.
2 African Palliative Care Association, Uganda.
J Telemed Telecare. 2019 May;25(4):230-240. doi: 10.1177/1357633X18767187. Epub 2018 Apr 11.
Palliative care (PC) services in the African region need to adapt to manage rising numbers of patients with cancer or other life-limiting conditions. Mobile phone use in healthcare delivery (mHealth) is at an early stage of development for PC, but may provide new approaches to supporting patients regionally, particularly those with non-communicable diseases.
We conducted an online survey of 51 PC providers across 21 countries in the African region to identify: (i) current mHealth use in PC service delivery; (ii) potential barriers to mHealth use; and (iii) provider priorities for research development.
mHealth approaches were reported across 71.4% of services in which respondents were based. Barriers to mHealth research include patients not having access to phones, mobile network access, and limited access to expertise and hardware required for mHealth. Research priorities were identified which included exploring ways of incorporating mHealth into patient care and ensuring access and relevance of mHealth for patients and health professionals.
mHealth approaches are present across PC services in the African region, but so too are barriers to their use. Further work is required to explore how existing mHealth activities might be further developed and aligned with priority areas for PC development. Crucially, user engagement that seeks to understand the preferences and priorities of patients with PC needs, their caregivers, and those involved in the provision of PC should remain central to these efforts.
在非洲地区，姑息治疗（PC）服务需要适应管理不断增加的癌症或其他生命有限条件的患者数量。移动医疗（mHealth）在 PC 服务中的应用尚处于早期阶段，但可能为区域性支持患者提供新方法，特别是那些患有非传染性疾病的患者。
我们对非洲地区 21 个国家的 51 名 PC 提供者进行了在线调查，以确定：（i）PC 服务中当前 mHealth 的使用情况；（ii）mHealth 使用的潜在障碍；以及（iii）研究开发的提供者优先事项。
报告称，71.4%的受访者所在的服务中采用了 mHealth 方法。mHealth 研究的障碍包括患者无法使用手机、移动网络访问、以及缺乏 mHealth 所需的专业知识和硬件。确定了研究重点，包括探索将 mHealth 纳入患者护理的方法，以及确保 mHealth 对患者和医疗保健专业人员的可及性和相关性。
mHealth 方法在非洲地区的 PC 服务中都有存在，但使用它们也存在障碍。需要进一步努力探索如何进一步开发现有的 mHealth 活动，并使其与 PC 发展的优先领域保持一致。至关重要的是，寻求了解 PC 需求患者、其护理人员以及参与 PC 提供人员的偏好和优先事项的用户参与应仍然是这些努力的核心。
