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"&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Over recent decades, society has increasingly institutionalized the experience of dying and death. There are various reasons for this, but few would argue the business of &amp;amp;#34;dying&amp;amp;#34; has become commercialized and made less personal. In the process, individuals have increasingly become more uncomfortable with the thought of their own mortality.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.ted.com/talks/bj_miller_what_really_matters_at_the_end_of_life&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Dying is an inevitable part of life&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, as BJ Miller, the executive director of the Zen Hospice Project in San Francisco, poignantly pointed out in his inspirational 2015 TED talk. BJ Miller promotes a human-centered approach to palliative care, with a focus on well-being and comfort rather than &amp;amp;#34;illness,&amp;amp;#34; where there is space for intention, creativity and alleviation of unnecessary suffering.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Dying should not be viewed as a final act of one\u2019s life. Dying is not something to be endured in silence and isolation. People need to be supported as they go through this stage of life. Most hope this process will be on their own terms, with dignity, love and respect. However, a majority of the hospitals that house patients close to end of life were not designed to support palliative care. Furthermore, many people want to choose where and how they die, and generally this is not in the confines of a hospital.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Digital health technology now offers some solutions that could improve the quality of end-of-life care.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Enhancing Communication and Connection&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The Institute of Medicine (IOM) reports that &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;http://iom.nationalacademies.org/~/media/Files/Report%20Files/2014/EOL/Key%20Findings%20and%20Recommendations.pdf&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;people nearing the end of their lives often get seen and hospitalized in multiple health-care settings&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;. Therefore, it is important that their health information is efficiently shared and transferred between different locales, ensuring the continuity of care. Interoperable electronic health records (EHR) and other digital health systems can support this process and enhance communication between different professionals, minimizing delays and avoidable service replications.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;EHRs can also serve to communicate an individual&amp;amp;#39;s wishes, as well as be a part of their advanced care planning. Easy access to a patient\u2019s wishes ensures that a person near end-of-life (when he or she might not be able to make decisions any longer) receives care that reflects his or her previously stated preferences.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Another vital aspect of palliative care is interpersonal communication and the sharing of feelings. Many people, including health-care professionals, don\u2019t feel comfortable or competent discussing difficult existential issues with a dying person and/or their family members. Digital health can offer training tools that help educate and guide both the caregiver and patient through potentially difficult conversations.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Since patients and their caregivers often feel overwhelmed. Social platforms present opportunities to connect and support one another, both emotionally and by providing information and education. Patient support groups are turning into virtual online patient communities, which can be very helpful for people who might be confined to their beds.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Telepalliative Care&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Some consultations and examinations can now be done remotely. When nearing the end of life, a person often requires the involvement of a multidisciplinary palliative care team, which can involve numerous home and hospital visits. To limit uncomfortable \u2014 and possibly unnecessary \u2014 travel and transfers, it is now possible to complete some consultations virtually in the privacy and comfort of one&amp;amp;#39;s own home by utilizing teleconferencing.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.longtermcarelink.net/eldercare/telehospice.htm&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; rel=&amp;quot;nofollow&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Telehospice has been described as \u201Cthe newest frontier of telehealthcare delivery.\u201D&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; Remote communication such as a telephone or video conference can be used to perform some services that would previously require a visit to the hospital. This adds a new dimension to palliative care services. For example, if there is a basic, noninvasive procedure needed by a patient, a nurse can instruct the home caregivers via a video conversation how to perform the task.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Full telehealth workstations are also being trialed with palliative patients who live in more remote areas. These devices can measure vital signs and transmit the readings to a nurse, so patients can be continuously monitored between in-person visits outside of the hospital.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Digital technology can now deliver some of the care and support people want in their final days in a sensitive and convenient way. It can help people in the final stage of life, as well as their families and caregivers, and more developments are to be expected in this field in the future. Digital technology is not likely to replace the important human elements of palliative care, but rather free up resources so that caregivers and patients can better focus on what is truly important, the person.\u00A0&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<https://www.verywell.com/digital-health-and-palliative-care-1739152>