Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42277790›Full record

ArticleBMC palliative care2026

Communication practices and experience of connection in telehealth serious illness conversations with rural cancer patients: a qualitative study.

Elise C Tarbi, Stasha Medeiros, Amelia Haque, Serena Verma, Abhishek Ambati, Robert Gramling, Maija Reblin

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC palliative care, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Elise C TarbiDepartment of Nursing, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA. elise.tarbi@med.uvm.edu.
Stasha MedeirosDepartment of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA.
Amelia HaqueDepartment of Nursing, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA.
Serena VermaLarner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA.
Abhishek AmbatiUniversity of Vermont Cancer Center, Burlington, VT, USA.
Robert GramlingDepartment of Family Medicine, Vermont Conversation Lab, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA.
Maija ReblinDepartment of Family Medicine, Vermont Conversation Lab, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA.

Funding

University of Vermont Cancer Center Pre-Pilot Grant
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTelehealth can overcome functional, cost, and geographic barriers to attending in-person visits for people living with cancer in rural areas. Yet this medium presents clinicians, patients, and families with a different sensory and relational environment within which to engage in serious illness conversations. Within this different context, there is a need to better understand how clinicians preserve or adapt their communication strategies to connect interpersonally with patients and ensure high-quality care.

aimWe explored the characteristics of telehealth communication that patients reported fostered human connection in serious illness conversations among rural-dwelling patients with cancer.

methodsGrounded in a Basic Science Framework for Serious Illness Communication Research, we conducted semi-structured interviews with adult rural-dwelling patients with cancer. Eligible participants were either currently receiving or had recently completed treatment for their cancer and received some part of their cancer care via teleconferencing. Using directed content analysis, we qualitatively described participants' experiences with telehealth encounters with their providers (i.e., oncology or palliative care clinicians). We followed the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) for rigorous data collection, analysis, and reporting.

resultsWe interviewed 20 participants (average duration = 29 min; range: 14-56 min). Mean age was 66 years and 60% were women. All participants identified as white and 85% identified as financially secure. Over half reported high digital health care literacy, including 65% (13/20) reporting ability to use electronic device software applications (e.g. Zoom) independently. We identified three major themes in interviews: (1) the accessibility, comfort, and convenience of telehealth contributes to patient experience of connection; (2) communication actions that enable connection in this setting are those that foster a sense of patients feeling seen as a person, and allow them to see their clinicians as humans as well; (3) patients' experience of connection is impacted by relational, situational, and technological factors.

conclusionsAccessibility, clinician communication actions, and contextual factors of telehealth affect the experience of human connection in their cancer care among people with cancer who live in rural areas. This study provides a foundation to drive future research uncovering the optimal telehealth communication strategies to promote connection during virtual serious illness conversations.

Indexed as

CommunicationNeoplasmsAdultAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHumansInterviews as TopicMaleMiddle AgedQualitative ResearchRural PopulationTelemedicineHuman connectionQualitative analysisRural healthSerious illness communicationTelehealthTelepalliative care

Identifiers

PMID42277790
PMCPMC13479412

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.