Romani Claire, Conlon Michael, Oliver Mike, Leszczynski Konrad, Hunter Michele, Lam Kevin, Spadafora Silvana, Pearce Andrew
University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario.
Health Sciences North, Sudbury, Ontario.
Adv Radiat Oncol. 2020 Dec 2;6(3):100634. doi: 10.1016/j.adro.2020.100634. eCollection 2021 May-Jun.
Our institution operates a remote radiation oncology service in Northern Ontario, Canada. Since the start of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, this center has operated without radiation oncologists on site owing to safety precautions, and this study seeks to understand the effect of this shift.
Departmental level data reports were used to investigate differences in metrics between April to May of 2019 and April to May 2020. These metrics include the total number of referrals received, average wait time from referral to consult, the number of cases that underwent peer review before beginning treatment, the total number of fractions given over each period, patient-reported outcomes, and patient satisfaction. We also examined the importance of physical examinations and the use of SABR treatment.
There was an observed decrease in the number of referrals received, total number of fractions administered, and number of patients providing patient-reported outcomes. We observed no change in patient wait times, cases undergoing peer review before commencing treatment, or overall patient satisfaction. Challenges were identified in the collection of patient- reported outcomes and the conduction of physical examinations.
This paper provides proof of concept that a radiation clinic can function entirely virtually in the short term without sacrificing patient satisfaction, efficiency, or safety.
我们机构在加拿大安大略省北部提供远程放射肿瘤学服务。自2019年冠状病毒病疫情开始以来，由于安全预防措施，该中心在没有放射肿瘤学家现场办公的情况下运营，本研究旨在了解这种转变的影响。
使用部门层面的数据报告来调查2019年4月至5月与2020年4月至5月之间各项指标的差异。这些指标包括收到的转诊总数、从转诊到会诊的平均等待时间、开始治疗前接受同行评审的病例数、每个时期给予的总分次剂量、患者报告的结果以及患者满意度。我们还研究了体格检查的重要性和立体定向消融放疗（SABR）治疗的使用情况。
观察到收到的转诊数量、给予的总分次剂量以及提供患者报告结果的患者数量有所减少。我们观察到患者等待时间、开始治疗前接受同行评审的病例数或总体患者满意度没有变化。在收集患者报告结果和进行体格检查方面发现了挑战。
本文提供了概念验证，即放射诊所可以在短期内完全虚拟运作，而不会牺牲患者满意度、效率或安全性。
