Impact of Virtual vs. In-Person Palliative Care on Symptom Burden
A study published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management examined the association between symptom burden and visit modality among nearly 3,900 outpatient palliative care patients with serious illness. Patients with a mix of in-person and virtual visits had a significantly larger reduction in symptom burden over time, followed by those seen in-person only, while patients seen virtually only had stable symptom burden that did not improve. The authors conclude that mixed virtual and in-person care is associated with a greater reduction in symptom burden than in-person or virtual care alone.