Oncology Patient Experience with Telehealth

About

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) necessitated a rapid addition of telehealth, or virtual visits, for safe health care delivery. The practice of oncology has made these accommodations to protect patients with cancer, a vulnerable population, from COVID-19 exposure in healthcare settings. The Parkview Cancer Institute (PCI) successfully shifted care delivery from in-person to virtual visits by redefining staff roles to provide appropriate technological support to patients.

In a previous cross-sectional survey of PCI patients using virtual visits, respondents reported that pre-appointment assistance helped them set up the virtual visit. Furthermore, 87% indicated that they either ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ that they received quality care during their virtual visit. Despite this positive experience, only 52% of respondents agreed they would like to continue 'some types of PCI virtual visits after COVID restrictions are lifted.’ Of open-ended responses, 36% expressed a preference for in-person visits rather than virtual visits for their cancer care. Reasons related to satisfaction with telehealth visits include convenience, ease of use, and improved access. In this project, we extended this earlier survey to examine whether patient characteristics, such as emotional distress, cancer stage, and comfort with technology, are related to telehealth satisfaction.

PCI patients who have had a virtual visit with a Parkview provider were asked to complete an anonymous electronic survey including questions about their experience with their visits, as well as their emotional distress levels, cancer stage, and comfort with technology.

Our overall goal was to determine if telehealth is desirable for patients in different stages of their disease process or distress levels and with different levels of comfort with technology. Ultimately, we have used these results to help provide support for cancer patients in their engagement with telehealth services.

Partners

• Parkview Mirro Center for Research and Innovation
• Joseph McCollom, DO, PPG - Oncology
• Parkview Cancer Institute

Funding

Publications and presentations

• Joseph William McCollom, Michelle Drouin, Mindy Flanagan, and Rachel Pfafman. 2022. Patient efficacy in telehealth is moderated by distress among patients with cancer: A cross-sectional survey study. Journal of Clinical Oncology (June 2022) | DOI: 10.1200/JCO.2022.40.16_suppl.1590

Press

All projects