REMOTE SYMPTOM ASSESSMENT IN PALLIATIVE CARE: PATIENT AND CLINICIAN PERSPECTIVES

Sep 28, 2026

Palliative care improves quality of life by managing physical and psychological symptoms, yet symptom assessment gaps and recall bias hinder treatment decisions. Remote symptom assessment (RSA)—collecting symptom data outside visits via digital or phone methods—offers an opportunity but is underused. A descriptive-exploratory qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with 10 patients and 9 clinicians at a single ambulatory program and thematic analysis to identify perceived benefits, desired RSA features, and implementation challenges. Participants emphasized empowerment, but raised concerns about technical complexity, time and information burden, and the need for high usability. Results support user-centered RSA tools with minimized burden and emphasize future co-design and pilot testing for clinical integration.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Background

Study Aim

Methods

Results

Perceived Benefits

Desired RSA Features

Key Challenges

Implications and Future Research

Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 525 Abstract citation ID: igaf122.1794 REMOTE SYMPTOM ASSESSMENT IN PALLIATIVE CARE: PATIENT AND CLINICIAN PERSPECTIVES Irina Mindlis1, Emily Bivona-Maldonado2, Maureen Ekwebelem2, Catherine Samaniego2, Samprit Banerjee2, Zilong Yu2, and Daniel Shalev2, 1. Rutgers University, New York, New York, United States, 2. Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, United States Palliative care (PC) aims to improve quality of life by managing physical and psychological symptoms. High symptom burden is a primary driver of PC referral, yet gaps in symptom assessment limit the impact of PC interventions. Given that ambulatory PC visits often occur weeks apart, day-to-day symptom patterns may go unrecognized and recall bias during appointments may further hinder the quality of data on which treatment decisions are based. Remote symptom assessment (RSA), the collection of symptom data outside of clinical visits via digital or telephonic methods, offers a potential solution but remains underutilized. We aimed to understand the perspectives of PC patients and clinicians on RSA to improve symptom monitoring in ambulatory PC. We conducted a descriptive-exploratory qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with 10 PC patients and 9 PC clinicians at a single ambulatory PC program. Thematic analysis, using hybrid inductive-deductive coding, identified key themes regarding RSA’s benefits, desired features, and challenges. Participants viewed RSA as a tool to empower both patients and clinicians in managing symptoms. Desired features included facile user interfaces, structured reminder systems, and alerts for clinical changes. Participant concerns included technical complexity, time burden, and information burden. Ultimately, both patients and clinicians felt that RSA could enhance symptom management in the ambulatory PC setting, but only if developed with high usability and minimized burden. These findings highlight the need for user-centered RSA tools tailored to the ambulatory PC setting. Future research should focus on co-designing and piloting RSA platforms to optimize feasibility and clinical integration. - -

FAQs

Why is symptom assessment difficult in ambulatory palliative care visits?

Ambulatory palliative care visits often occur weeks apart, so day-to-day symptom patterns can be missed, and recall bias during appointments can reduce the quality of data used for treatment decisions.

How was remote symptom assessment (RSA) evaluated in the study?

The study conducted a descriptive-exploratory qualitative design using semi-structured interviews with 10 palliative care patients and 9 palliative care clinicians at a single ambulatory program, followed by thematic analysis using hybrid inductive-deductive coding.

What RSA features did participants most want?

Participants desired facile user interfaces, structured reminder systems, and alerts for clinical changes to support symptom monitoring between visits.

What concerns could limit adoption of RSA?

Reported concerns included technical complexity, time burden, and information burden, leading participants to conclude that RSA should enhance care only when usability is high and burden is minimized.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Olivia Brown