Beyond feasibility: a scoping review of digital health technologies in paediatric palliative care

Abstract

Background: Digital health technologies are increasingly used across home, hospital, hospice and outpatient paediatric palliative care, yet the evidence remains dispersed across reviews of single technologies, populations or settings. Aim: To map technology types, purposes, outcomes, implementation factors, continued use, costs and funding, and artificial intelligence functionality. Design: Scoping review reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews; protocol posted on the Open Science Framework before searching (https://osf.io/3dh9x/). Data sources: Five databases, grey literature sources and trial registries, searched for reports published 2015–March 2026 presenting primary data on digital health technologies in paediatric palliative care. Records were screened and charted in duplicate; no quality appraisal was undertaken. Results: Of 1,086 records identified, 41 reports were included. Telehealth and videoconferencing predominated, followed by electronic patient-reported outcome and symptom-monitoring systems and web-based or mobile applications. Technologies supported communication, family and caregiver support, symptom monitoring and care coordination. Designs were predominantly non-comparative. Reported outcomes focused on feasibility, acceptability, access and family engagement. Facilitators most often concerned access and continuity of care, communication and clinical usefulness; barriers were most often technical, organisational and resource-related. Continued use was supported in 14 reports and unclear in 27; cost or funding information was identified in 21. No report described artificial intelligence. Conclusions: Reports consistently describe these technologies as feasible and acceptable, but this rests largely on non-comparative designs and evidence beyond feasibility remains limited. Systematic evaluation of sustainment, service costs, cost-effectiveness and financing was largely absent. This is a preprint of a manuscript submitted to Palliative Medicine and not yet peer reviewed. Supplementary materials (search strategies, codebook, PRISMA-ScR checklist and Supplementary Tables S1–S5) are provided in a separate file. Conducted within the HOPE4Kids project, funded by the European Union through the EU4Health Programme (Grant Agreement No. 101233078).