We invite you to express interest in joining a new Special Interest Forum (SIF) in Technology and Digital Innovation in palliative care, which will be coordinated by the Association for Palliative Medicine of Great Britain and Ireland (APM – www.apmonline.org).

This SIF is open for members and non APM members (see below). If you are interested in being involved, please contact the APM office at office@compleat-online.co.uk expressing your interest.

Advancing digital technologies are impacting all areas of healthcare and it is clear these tools will play an increasingly significant role in the future of healthcare delivery, including within the fields of palliative and end of life care. Digital technologies include all aspects of telehealth, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, remote monitoring using apps or wearable devices, as well as electronic records and prescribing systems. The benefits of incorporating technologies to support a patient’s palliative care journey range from enhanced quality and coordination of care, improved symptom management, remote monitoring and improved communication.

In this rapidly changing landscape, it is important that as clinicians we are aware of the opportunities that different digital technologies may offer, both to improve healthcare and to support professionals. This special interest forum is open to any APM members who have an interest in, or current involvement in the application of digital technologies in palliative care.

The aims and objectives of the group will be agreed in detail at the convening meeting, but we hope the group will enable dissemination and implementation of digital innovation, connect members to leverage their skills and experiences for the benefit of the wider healthcare system and each other, and facilitate member networking to enable support and professional development in digital health and enable members to utilise the collective expertise within the group.

We encourage all members of the SIF to be a member of the APM. This SIF will be open to non APM members who have legitimate reason to be involved, e.g. technologists, social scientists etc. Please contact us if you, or your colleagues, are in other fields who may wish to be involved in this SIF.

If you are interested in being involved, please contact the APM office at office@compleat-online.co.uk expressing your interest.

Co-chairs of the Special Interest Forum (SIF) in Technology and Digital Innovation in palliative care

Dr Amara Nwosu, Senior Clinical Lecturer in Palliative Medicine, Lancaster Medical School and Consultant at Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Churchill Fellow 2020, Research Lead of Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool and Technology Editor Palliative Medicine.

Dr Suzanne Ford-Dunn, Consultant in Palliative Medicine, University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust and current Topol Digital Fellow