Maguraushe Kudakwashe, Ndlovu Belinda Mutunhu
Department of Information and Communication Technology, Mangosuthu University of Technology, Durban, South Africa.
Department of Informatics, National University of Science and Technology, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
Digit Health. 2024 Oct 29;10:20552076241271835. doi: 10.1177/20552076241271835. eCollection 2024 Jan-Dec.
With the rapid advancement of technology, smart technologies have permeated various sectors, including palliative care in healthcare. Based on the available literature, similar studies have elucidated the application of individual and isolated smart technologies in palliative care, with their benefits, and limitations. This research, therefore, focuses on the conceptualisation of various smart technologies and makes holistic recommendations on the effective and efficient use of smart technologies in healthcare to enhance palliative care.
The purpose of this study is to systematically review the existing literature to conceptualise the role of various key smart technologies in palliative care, and their benefits and make recommendations on how smart technologies can enhance healthcare in palliative care.
The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines were adopted in this study. Using the keywords: 'smart technologies', 'healthcare' and 'palliative care' (using Booleans AND/OR in different ways, including their synonyms), an exhaustive search was done on four major databases: MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus and CINAHL. Resultantly, 19 articles met the inclusion criteria and were analysed.
The main results reveal that smart technologies enhance the quality of life and efficiency of palliative care, notably telemedicine, wearable devices, and mobile health apps. They reduce hospital visits and carer stress by improving patient-doctor communication, enabling remote monitoring, and forecasting health outcomes. However, there are challenges such as the digital divide, privacy issues, and the need for comprehensive integration and training into the current frameworks.
The study emphasises the significant impact of smart technologies in improving palliative care. It emphasises the importance of considering technological, ethical, and practical factors to ensure that these advancements truly enhance palliative care. This research has important implications for healthcare professionals and policymakers, indicating a need for a patient-centred palliative care model that integrates technology more effectively.
随着技术的飞速发展，智能技术已渗透到各个领域，包括医疗保健中的姑息治疗。根据现有文献，类似研究已阐明了个体和孤立的智能技术在姑息治疗中的应用及其益处和局限性。因此，本研究聚焦于各种智能技术的概念化，并就如何在医疗保健中有效且高效地使用智能技术以加强姑息治疗提出全面建议。
本研究的目的是系统回顾现有文献，以概念化各种关键智能技术在姑息治疗中的作用及其益处，并就智能技术如何改善姑息治疗中的医疗保健提出建议。
本研究采用系统评价与荟萃分析的首选报告项目（PRISMA）指南。使用关键词：“智能技术”、“医疗保健”和“姑息治疗”（以不同方式使用布尔逻辑与/或，包括其同义词），对四个主要数据库进行了详尽搜索：MEDLINE、PubMed、Scopus和CINAHL。最终，19篇文章符合纳入标准并进行了分析。
主要结果表明，智能技术提高了姑息治疗的生活质量和效率，特别是远程医疗、可穿戴设备和移动健康应用程序。它们通过改善医患沟通、实现远程监测和预测健康结果，减少了医院就诊次数和护理人员的压力。然而，存在诸如数字鸿沟、隐私问题以及需要全面整合并纳入当前框架进行培训等挑战。
该研究强调了智能技术在改善姑息治疗方面的重大影响。它强调了考虑技术、伦理和实际因素的重要性，以确保这些进步真正加强姑息治疗。这项研究对医疗保健专业人员和政策制定者具有重要意义，表明需要一种更有效地整合技术的以患者为中心的姑息治疗模式。
