Improving Palliative Care for Seriously Ill Patients Through Telehealth
Official title: Improving Serious Illness Care for Underserved Populations: Patient and Caregiver Experience with Tele-Palliative Care
Funded at Rand Corporation · NIH-11083142 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how seriously ill patients and their caregivers experience palliative care delivered through telehealth compared to in-person visits, especially for those who might not have easy access to care.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rand Corporation NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Santa Monica, United States) |
| Project start | July 19, 2023 |
| Project end | April 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $566,341 |
| NIH project number | 5R01NR020788-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11083142 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adult patients with a serious illness who are referred to outpatient palliative care, along with their caregivers.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who are not seriously ill or are not seeking palliative care services would not directly benefit from this particular research.
What this research studies
Many seriously ill patients need better ways to manage pain and symptoms, and to plan for their future care. Palliative care helps with these needs, and telehealth might make it easier for more people to get this important support, especially if they live far from major medical centers. We are asking adult patients and their caregivers about their experiences with both in-person and telehealth palliative care over time. We will also compare the quality of communication in recorded visits to understand what works best for different people. Our goal is to understand patient and caregiver preferences and needs for how they receive palliative care.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help improve how telehealth palliative care is delivered, making it more effective and accessible for seriously ill patients and their families.
How similar studies have gone: While telehealth palliative care is increasingly used, little is known about patient and caregiver perspectives on its effectiveness and communication quality, making this a novel area of focus.
Where this research is happening
-
Rand Corporation
Santa Monica, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bandini, Julia — Rand Corporation
- Study coordinator: Bandini, Julia
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.