Abstract

The focus of palliative care is on improving the quality of life for people with serious illnesses, especially managing symptoms such as pain, fatigue, and emotional stress. As the demand for palliative care is growing worldwide, mobile health (mHealth) applications are important for patients and caregivers to manage care more effectively. These apps provide symptom tracking, medication reminders, communication with healthcare providers, educational resources, and emotional support. Research demonstrated that patients and caregivers generally find these apps helpful, easy to use, and aid in symptom control and overall well-being. However, their use is limited by challenges such as a lack of digital skills, a lack of internet access capabilities, privacy concerns, and fear of losing personal contact with healthcare providers. Apps that offer practical tools or tips for caregivers to manage daily care tasks, plus emotional support, peer networks, and counselling, are especially beneficial. User-friendly design of the app interface, engagement of patients and carers with the app development, and integration of the app with the healthcare team are key to the successful adoption of mHealth apps. Despite some barriers, mobile applications in palliative care have a strong potential to facilitate palliative support on time and improve communication. Future work would include making these technologies available to diverse populations, training them, and keeping them private and secure. This would greatly empower patients and caregivers and ultimately help improve the standard of care and life for those with life-limiting illnesses.

Key words: Palliative care, mobile health applications, symptom management, caregiver support, acceptance of mobile apps