Improving Palliative Care for Seriously Ill Patients Through Telehealth

Improving Serious Illness Care for Underserved Populations: Patient and Caregiver Experience with Tele-Palliative Care

NIH-funded research Rand Corporation · NIH-11083142

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 typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionRand Corporation NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Santa Monica, United States)
Project IDNIH-11083142 on NIH RePORTER

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.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates are adult patients with a serious illness who are referred to outpatient palliative care, along with their caregivers.

Not a fit: Patients who are not seriously ill or are not seeking palliative care services would not directly benefit from this particular research.

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 performed: 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

Santa Monica, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-10 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.