Digital Health Perspectives and Opportunities in Pediatric Palliative Care: Results From a Focus Group

Introduction: Pediatric palliative care (P PC) is a multidisciplinary approach aimed at enhancing the quality Of life of children with serious/terminal illnesses, also providing support to their families. PPC is provided in both primary and secondary care settings, and digital health (DH) tools such as telemedicine platforms and mobile application can help connect the different settings, health professionals, and caregivers and ensure patient centeredness. This study aims to explore the perceived benefits and challenges Of DH among PPC professionals and to gather suggestions and recommendations for future integrations of digital tools into healthcare practice Methods: A Focus Group (FG) based on a semistructured interview was conducted with the partjcipation of 12 PPC specialists (physicians, nurses. psychologists and physiotherapists) and I moderator. Data analysis was conducted using NViVO software. Results: Six major themes emerged from the FG about DH: opportunities for the future; privacy issue; nonreplaceability of the person visit/consultation; ethics and deontology, health literacy; and applications_ Discussion: DH and all its tools represent an opportunity to implement innovative strategies in PPC. lt can improve accessibility to P PC and continuity Of care and reduce the number and length Of hospitalizations. Data security and cquitablc access to technology are crucial in developing digital solutions. and universal precautions should be identified by healthcare organizations to improve accessibility for all who can benefit from DH. People's trust in digital technologies should be strengthened, and new health professions' education programs Should to allOW and caregivers improve DH competences. Parents Of children With life-limiting diseases Should be involved in the creation Of new applications to identifi the issues they would like to see addressed. Overall, a patient/family-centered approach to DH should be adopted, where technology is used to improve, rather than replace, the human elements of care. patient and public Contribution: patient and public involvernent and engagement (PPIE) was not appropriate in aur work, as it was based on a FG carried out With the participation Of PPC specialists to explore the perceptions and perspectives Of healthcare providers regarding the use of DH in PPC.