Benefits and drawbacks of videoconferencing for collaborating multidisciplinary teams in regional oncology networks: a scoping review

Abstract

IntroductionVarious forms of videoconferenced collaborations exist in oncology care. In regional oncology networks, multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) are essential in coordinating care in their region. There is no recent overview of the benefits and drawbacks of videoconferenced collaborations in oncology care networks. This scoping review presents an overview of videoconferencing (VC) in oncology care and summarises its benefits and drawbacks regarding decision-making and care coordination.DesignWe searched MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL (nursing and allied health) and the Cochrane Library from inception to October 2020 for studies that included VC use in discussing treatment plans and coordinating care in oncology networks between teams at different sites. Two reviewers performed data extraction and thematic analyses.ResultsFifty studies were included. Six types of collaboration between teams using VC in oncology care were distinguished, ranging from MDTs collaborating with similar teams or with national or international experts to interactions between palliative care nurses and experts in that field. Patient benefits were less travel for diagnosis, better coordination of care, better access to scarce facilities and treatment in their own community. Benefits for healthcare professionals were optimised treatment plans through multidisciplinary discussion of complex cases, an ability to inform all healthcare professionals simultaneously, enhanced care coordination, less travel and continued medical education. VC added to the regular workload in preparing for discussions and increased administrative preparation.DiscussionBenefits and drawbacks for collaborating teams were tied to general VC use. VC enabled better use of staff time and reduced the time spent travelling. VC equipment costs and lack of reimbursement were implementation barriers.ConclusionVC is highly useful for various types of collaboration in oncology networks and improves decision-making over treatment plans and care coordination, with substantial benefits for patients and specialists. Drawbacks are additional time related to administrative preparation.

How well does the virtual format of oncology multidisciplinary team meetings work? An assessment of participants’ perspectives and limitations: A scoping review

“…Lack of reimbursement was a barrier to attendance for isolated or community-based physicians. This is supported by prior literature where the equipment cost VMDTMs defer physicians from attending VMDTMs [12]. It is important to highlight that VMDTMs may be more cost-effective than IMDTMs in the long term [51,52].…”

“…The major technological issue highlighted in our studies was poor connectivity or limited bandwidth. Limited bandwidth prevents the proper functioning of audio and video components simultaneously, so, a bandwidth of 2 Mbps has been previously recommended [12].…”

“…Studies integrating available literature to offer a broad map of VMDTMs are scarce. Prior reviews have evaluated VMDTMs in the context of specific cancer [4], and MDTMs in general without primarily focusing on the virtual format [9][10][11], or in regional oncology networks [12]. Thus, a comprehensive, all-encompassing study examining the perspectives of participating physicians themselves regarding VMDTMs, not limited to a particular geography, is notably absent from the existing literature.…”

National Cancer Grid Virtual Tumor Boards of Head and Neck Cancers: An Innovative Approach to Multidisciplinary Care

“…In a scoping review to study the benefits and drawbacks of videoconferencing in oncology networks, 25 it was found that there were several benefits to patients, such as less travel for diagnosis, better coordination of care, better access to scarce facilities and expertise, and treatment in their own community. Benefits for health care professionals included optimized treatment plans through multidisciplinary discussion of complex patients, an ability to inform all health care professionals simultaneously, enhanced care coordination, less travel, and continuous medical education.…”

A regional virtual case discussion forum in pediatric oncology: Experience of the Pediatric Oncology East and Mediterranean Group

“…The clinical impact of specialized discussion forums and tumor boards has been well documented 3 . Videoconferencing among regional oncology networks has been mostly reported within high‐income countries (HICs), 4,5 and is associated with multiple benefits, including enhanced care coordination, optimization of treatment plans, and education of practitioners. Similar efforts within lower middle‐income countries (LMICs) are often limited to twinning initiatives between one LMIC center and an HIC center, that typically utilize videoconferencing with a focus on specific subspecialty case discussions 6–12 .…”