%0 Journal Article
%T Conducting Internet-Based Environmental Scans in Community Health: Identifying Palliative Respite Services in Québec
%A Fatima Zahra Amrani
%A Youssef Benali
%J Journal of Integrative Nursing and Palliative Care
%@ 3006-5550
%D 2024
%V 5
%N 2
%R 10.51847/afN30f8Iwg
%P 281-293
%X Caregiving pairs receiving palliative care often face demanding, multifaceted care needs. Respite care services can offer substantial help by easing the strain on caregivers, promoting survivorship, and facilitating the option of dying at home. Nevertheless, these services remain challenging to find and access in the province of Québec, Canada, especially when relying on the wide range of online health information, which varies greatly in reliability. This project sought to (1) assemble a list of at-home palliative respite care services in Québec, Canada; (2) outline the main accessibility features of each respite care service; (3) pinpoint accessibility gaps and potential improvements; and (4) present a new approach for performing environmental scans that draws on internet search engines, internet-based community health databases, and member checking. A new environmental scan approach was applied, relying on 2 targeted internet-based databases and 1 internet search engine. The findings were screened, with data extracted, analyzed descriptively, and mapped geographically.

In total, 401 services were reviewed, from which 52 at-home respite care services designed specifically for palliative populations were selected, organized, and examined. These services varied in the kinds of support provided, the types of providers involved, associated costs, and the geographic areas they covered. Accessibility was examined according to service amenability, availability, eligibility, and compatibility. The analysis uncovered significant obstacles to obtaining respite care, including insufficient readily available information about service features, limited service availability, and a lengthy, complex search process that burdens both potential users and clinicians. This environmental scan yielded valuable insights into both methodology and the current context. Since few detailed methodologies exist for internet-based environmental scans, we drew on lessons from previous studies. We developed an approach that combines internet search engines, internet-based community health databases, and member checking. We have documented our procedures thoroughly so that other researchers conducting similar community health environmental scans can follow and replicate them. In addition, the scan allowed us to catalog a range of respite care services and highlight shortcomings in how they are currently provided. The results emphasize the urgent need for more accessible and centralized information on respite care services throughout Québec. These findings will support the development of a practical, user-friendly resource that can be distributed to community support organizations across the province, ultimately reducing the extra workload caregivers and clinicians face when searching for respite care options in scattered, intricate digital environments.
%U https://journalinpc.com/article/conducting-internet-based-environmental-scans-in-community-health-identifying-palliative-respite-se-bcfmqew896amf6e