Palliative care as a digital working world (PALLADiUM) - A mixed-method research protocol

Abstract

Background In Palliative Care, actors from different professional backgrounds work together and exchange case-specific and expert knowledge and information. Since Palliative Care is traditionally distant from digitalization due to its holistically person-centered approach, there is a lack of suitable concepts enabling digitalization regarding multi-professional team processes. Yet, a digitalised information and collaboration environment geared to the requirements of palliative care and the needs of the members of the multi-professional team might facilitate communication and collaboration processes and improve information and knowledge flows. Taking this chance, the presented three-year project, PALLADiUM, aims to improve the effectiveness of Palliative Care teams by jointly sharing available inter-subjective knowledge and orientation-giving as well as action-guiding practical knowledge. Thus, PALLADiUM will explore the potentials and limitations of digitally supported communication and collaboration solutions. Methods PALLADiUM follows an open and iterative mixed methods approach. First, ethnographic methods – participant observations, interviews, and focus groups – aim to explore knowledge and information flow in investigating Palliative Care units as well as the requirements and barriers to digitalization. Second, to extend this body, the analysis of the historical hospital data provides quantitative insights. Condensing all findings results in a to-be work system. Adhering to the work systems transformation method, a technical prototype including artificial intelligence components will enhance the collaborative teamwork in the Palliative Care unit. Discussion PALLADiUM aims to deliver decisive new insights into the preconditions, processes, and success factors of the digitalization of a medical working environment as well as communication and collaboration processes in multi-professional teams. Trial registration The study was registered prospectively at DRKS (Deutsches Register Klinischer Studien) Registration-ID: DRKS0025356 Date of registration: 03.06.21.

“Let`s put it this way: You can't really live without it” - Digital technologies in routine palliative care delivery: an explorative qualitative study with patients and their family caregivers in Germany

“…Both perceive DTs as bene cial to multi-professional collaboration and organisation in the context of palliative care. We emphasise the relevance of research into the further development of digital work systems for palliative care [21]. Patient and caregiver preferences elicited from study participants align with the social cognitive theory, an integrated model that highlights the role of personal, environmental and social support as important mediators of behavior [22].…”

“Let’s put it this way: you can’t really live without it” - digital technologies in routine palliative care delivery: an explorative qualitative study with patients and their family caregivers in Germany

“…As demonstrated in findings from the German oVID Project, DTs facilitate intercollegiate collaboration and knowledge exchange among HCPs, enhancing the effectiveness of palliative care [ 27 ]. We emphasise the relevance of research into the further development of digital work systems for palliative care [ 28 ]. Patient and caregiver preferences elicited from study participants align with the social cognitive theory, an integrated model that highlights the role of personal, environmental and social support as important mediators of behavior [ 29 ].…”