Telemedicine in Oncology: Delivering on an Overdue Promise in the COVID-19 Era

Abstract

Telemedicine has historically been underutilized in medicine broadly, and specifically in oncology, despite the general availability of the needed infrastructure to offer it as a platform for remote care. The COVID-19 pandemic posed new risks of infection exposure and potentially life-threatening complications, particularly in patients with cancer, created a new setting for cancer care ideally suited for the rapid roll-out of telemedicine for patients with cancer who need regular follow up but in whom live visits may not be critical. In the months since the upheaval of our health care system and wider society in the United States, as well as other countries, our early experience with telemedicine has demonstrated the feasibility of telemedicine for a subset of patients with cancer, facilitated by a removal of regulatory hurdles and payment parity, at least temporarily. At the same time, however, many patients still need to return to the clinic for routine infusions of anti-cancer therapy that obviate much of the value of remote clinic visits, and many patients remain limited by access to hardware, fast and reliable internet, and technical expertise. While we need to address these shortcomings and ensure training of health care professionals in "webside manner" with patients, as well as to work to develop ways to incorporate remote care in the conduct of clinical trials, telemedicine is poised to emerge not merely as an interim solution to a transient challenge but as a valuable tool ideally suited to deliver cancer care efficiently for a subset of patients well suited to adopt this platform.

Health Care Providers’ and Professionals’ Experiences With Telehealth Oncology Implementation During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

“…HPPs may need additional resources to deliver telehealth effectively. HPP-facing tools [ 58 , 59 ] may be helpful in providing education on “webside manner” and implementation checklists [ 58 , 59 ]. HPPs at Moffitt indicated a need for guidance on the optimal way to conduct a telehealth visit (eg, lighting and eye contact), similar to other studies [ 40 , 60 ].…”

An App-Based Telemedicine Program for Primary Care and Specialist Video Consultations During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Mexico

“…Also, other studies have shown that video consultation services, which provide a face-to-face interaction with the patient are more likely to be accepted than other telehealth services such as telephone-based or text messaging services. 17 Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine services have gained more usage among health care workers in all areas of medicine, including gastroenterology, 18 pediatrics, 19 oncology, 20 urology, 21 ophthalmology, 22 endocrinology, 23 and even palliative care. 24 Sofía's Coronaid was mainly focused on primary care consultations, including internal medicine and pediatrics.…”

Gender Differences in Concerns About Participating in Cancer Research During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“… 14 , 34 , 35 The analysis we have reported here further supports these arguments. The increased adoption of telemedicine in oncology as a result of the pandemic 36 may have a significant role to play in this regard, providing dual advantages of both safety and reassurance for participants, and the elimination of distance as a prohibiting factor to study recruitment (for some studies). Indeed, the qualitative study that we are conducting based on this analysis is making full use of remote meetings to interview participants.…”