Multicenter evaluation of breast cancer patients’ satisfaction and experience with oncology telemedicine visits during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

s Introduction During the COVID-19 pandemic, teleconsultation was implemented in clinical practice to limit patient exposure to COVID-19 while monitoring their treatment and follow-up. We sought to examine the satisfaction of patients with breast cancer (BC) who underwent teleconsultations during this period. Methods Eighteen centres in France and Italy invited patients with BC who had at least one teleconsultation during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic to participate in a web-based survey that evaluated their satisfaction (EORTC OUT-PATSAT 35 and Telemedicine Satisfaction Questionnaire [TSQ] scores) with teleconsultation. Results Among the 1299 participants eligible for this analysis, 53% of participants were undergoing standard post-treatment follow-up while 22 and 17% were currently receiving active anticancer therapy for metastatic and localised cancers, respectively. The mean satisfaction scores were 77.4 and 73.3 for the EORTC OUT-PATSAT 35 and TSQ scores, respectively. In all, 52.6% of participants had low/no anxiety. Multivariable analysis showed that the EORTC OUT-PATSAT 35 score correlated to age, anxiety score and teleconsultation modality. The TSQ score correlated to disease status and anxiety score. Conclusion Patients with BC were satisfied with oncology teleconsultations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Teleconsultation may be an acceptable alternative follow-up modality in specific circumstances.

A Narrative Review of the Launch and the Deployment of Telemedicine in Italy during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The eligibility process applied to the selected references, after the elimination of the duplicated ones, returned 39 works [ 5 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 ], including a review focused on the relationship between telemedicine and radiotherapy [ 39 ].…”

“…The study in [ 40 ] reported the evolution of a multidisciplinary center for myocarditis towards a telemedicine system. Important applications are recorded in oncology, such as in breast cancer [ 21 ], lung cancer [ 25 ], connections to the stoma centers [ 29 ], the management of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer [ 39 ], and related radiotherapy applications [ 35 ]. The neurology sector has also recorded an important use of applications in Parkinson’s disease [ 44 ]; in the use of telemedicine for the multidisciplinary assessment of patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis [ 47 ]; for multiple sclerosis [ 28 ]; for a headache specialist center; and in applications of telephysiotherapy [ 47 ].…”

“…Several studies have accompanied the use of telemedicine with the application of questionnaires (in some cases even standardized) to investigate acceptance and satisfaction [ 21 , 22 , 25 , 29 , 38 , 43 , 47 ], from which the desire to continue with telemedicine even in post-pandemic periods have also clearly emerged, directly or indirectly. Telemedicine received a high degree of acceptance, for example, in oncology, where both a study on patients with breast cancer [ 21 ] and in the output of a project on lung cancer monitoring [ 25 ] displayed this. The study in [ 22 ] investigated the individual and contextual determinants of the perceived quality of telemedicine and teleassistance services, and willingness to continue with them among patients with diabetes.…”

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on perceived access to health care and preferences for health care provision in individuals (being) treated for breast cancer

“…A total of 82% ( n = 2207) patients indicated overall satisfaction with virtualized care [ 29 ]. A study in France and Italy among 1244 breast cancer patients showed high levels of approval for telehealth visits during the COVID-19 pandemic [ 32 ]. Overall, our findings underline the relevance and support further acceptance of the implementation of telehealth as part of comprehensive cancer care.…”

Lessons for Oncology From the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Among patients receiving radiation, most were satisfied with virtual postradiation visits, and nearly 90% of patients in 1 study preferred to keep telehealth as part of their care 40,41 . Numerous studies reported positive patient perceptions of virtual visits, and patients frequently highlighted reduced travel time and increased convenience as the biggest positives 2,26,41–47 . One study estimated that virtual visits saved 20,000 miles of travel, more than 200 miles per patient 42 .…”