Investigating the use of video calls by palliative care organisations to provide emotional support

To better understand whether emotional support delivered via video call is successful in helping people in palliative care. 

Video calls between people with diseases and professionals located in different places is now an established part of healthcare practice. For people with life-shortening illnesses that affect mobility, such as MND, video calls may be a suitable way to receive emotional support to limit travel. This support could be anything from counselling to art therapies, chaplaincy, or social work. 

This study aims to understand more about the advantages and challenges of delivering this support by video calls in order to help improve current palliative care services. People with life-shortening illnesses and professionals have differing opinions about the value of video calls. Some welcome spending less time and money travelling to appointments when these can happen in their own homes. Others worry that video calls may reach more people but reduce the quality of care provided. 

This research uses observations, interviews, and collage-making to learn from the experiences of a range of people with diseases and staff who use or have used video calls in palliative care. Findings from this study will be compared to existing research to better understand what works well so that palliative care organisations can use technology appropriately to meet the needs of everyone who may access these forms of emotional support.