Healthcare professionals' experiences of video consultations in palliative care in rural areas: an intervention study in community care.

BACKGROUND: The population is aging, leading to an increased need for palliative care and end-of-life care. There is a lack of research on the use of video consultations for knowledge transfer between specialist and general palliative care. The aim of this study was to describe healthcare professionals' experiences of video consultations in palliative care in community homecare and nursing homes in rural areas.

METHODS: Individual interviews (n = 11) were conducted with five community nurses, one occupational therapist, two specialist palliative nurses, and three specialist palliative care physicians. The data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

RESULTS: The analysis identified three themes: feeling comfortable with increased availability of specialist expertise; seeing each other facilitates communication; and being supported by physically present care professionals is essential.

CONCLUSION: HCPs suggest that video consultations are an effective way to increase access to specialist palliative care and provide more equal care to patients with palliative care needs in rural community care.