State of eHealth in Cancer Care: Review of the Benefits and Limitations of eHealth Tools.

BACKGROUND

eHealth has the potential to improve patient access to care through the use of various tools.

OBJECTIVES

This article provides a review of some eHealth technologies, including a discussion of their benefits and limitations. An overview of studies using eHealth technologies are summarized, and future directions are explored.

METHODS

A review of the eHealth literature was conducted, with a focus on outcomes of telehealth interventions in cancer care.

FINDINGS

eHealth can transform health care by expanding the reach of clinical cancer care. Examples of this expansion of care include patients who live in remote areas with limited access to oncology providers, patients who find travel challenging, and patients who prefer the convenience of communicating with their provider from their home. Such telehealth interventions can increase patient satisfaction, but additional research is needed to further evaluate patient outcomes.