Objective:

To explore access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for palliative care users.

Method:

The framework for the analysis of tasks, users, representation, and function (TURF) was used to characterize the users of palliative care of two health institutions in Medellín, Colombia. The institutions were visited between May and September 2017 according to the report of new hospitalizations or when the researchers detected the hospitalization of new patients. A total of 64 surveys were conducted: 35 patients and 39 caregivers, the instrument included questions about demographic and clinical factors, the use of ICT in daily life, clinical variables, and symptoms of the patients and caregivers. The categorical variables were shown from descriptive statistics as percentages and frequencies.

Results:

most patients were women, residents of urban areas who had access to information and communication technologies, with little frequency in their use. The caregivers were regular users of Information and Communication Technologies, especially social networks.

Conclusion:

Institutions that provide palliative care and seek to implement ICT in the care of their patients should center their efforts in caregivers and their access to social networks.

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