Palliative and Hospice Care Mobile Applications: A Comprehensive Review and Recommendations

Abstract

Palliative and hospice care, traditionally provided in hospitals, are expanding into homes and communities with an increase in the elderly population and number of patients with chronic diseases. Despite the development of various mobile applications, the characteristics and relevance of these technologies in community settings have been insufficiently analyzed, resulting in a lack of clarity regarding their effectiveness. This systematic scoping review aimed to analyze and categorize the characteristic features of mobile applications for palliative and hospice care, and propose key attributes that should be included in community setting based applications. Sixty-six mobile applications for palliative and hospice care were included through mobile platforms (Google Play and the iOS Appstore). Of the total number of palliative and hospice care applications, 44 were intended for use by clinicians and 14 by patients and informal caregivers, respectively The application features can be categorized into eight themes: 1) information and procedures for palliative care and hospice facilities, 2) visiting management, 3) medical record management and documentation, 4) palliative and hospice care guidance and education, 5) care planning management, 6) communication and notification systems, 7) administrative services for facilities, and 8) data management. Determining whether the current applications are clinically effective is challenging. Future palliative care·hospice applications should integrate existing disparate functions to provide users with a one-stop solution for palliative and hospice care-related services and allow for care beyond the in-hospital setting, thus providing patients with more end-of-life care options.