Department of Psychosocial Oncology, Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute, ChristianaCare, Newark, Delaware, USA.
Department of Biology, Boston College, Newton, Massachusetts, USA.
J Psychosoc Oncol. 2021;39(3):416-427. doi: 10.1080/07347332.2021.1894526. Epub 2021 Apr 1.
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) rapidly shifted psychosocial services to telepsychology, including psychosocial oncology (PSO) practices. PSO providers work with patients undergoing treatment, experiencing treatment delays and/or immuno-suppression in the context of a global pandemic. There is evidence to support the acceptability of telepsychology among cancer patients and an emerging need for data to inform the design and provision of telepsychology PSO care during the pandemic and beyond.
This study examined engagement in telepsychology PSO care at an outpatient community cancer center.
The current study analyzed practice data from a PSO department from March 2020 through September 2020. The sample included 354 patients (91 established; 263 newly referred). Descriptive, correlational, and comparative analyses were conducted.
Among established patients, 93% continued with telepsychology PSO care after the pandemic and 94% completed at least one telepsychology appointment. Among newly referred patients, 50.6% scheduled a telepsychology appointment, consistent with the scheduling rate for the proceeding calendar year (50%). Across patients scheduling telepsychology PSO appointments (N = 194), 68 initially engaged in phone-based services with 20 converting to video, for a total of 127 (76.5%) patients utilizing video-based PSO services. Common reasons for phone-based services included 'patient preference' (N = 14), 'lack of access' (N = 9), and 'technology barriers' (N = 8). During this timeframe, 18% had at least one no-show, which is significantly less than the preceding year (23%). Phone-based patients were significantly older (p =.007). A greater proportion of males engaged in phone-based services compared to females (p = .006).
Telepsychology PSO engages new and existing patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. There may be an increased demand for services and increased utilization in the context of the pandemic and the availability of telepsychology. There are disparities and access issues that should be considered and addressed.
新型冠状病毒（COVID-19）迅速将心理社会服务转移到远程心理治疗领域，包括心理社会肿瘤学（PSO）实践。PSO 服务提供者在全球大流行的背景下，为正在接受治疗、经历治疗延迟和/或免疫抑制的患者提供服务。有证据表明，癌症患者可以接受远程心理治疗，并且在大流行期间及以后，需要数据来为远程心理治疗 PSO 护理的设计和提供提供信息。
本研究考察了一家社区癌症中心门诊部门的远程心理治疗 PSO 护理的参与情况。
本研究分析了 2020 年 3 月至 2020 年 9 月期间 PSO 部门的实践数据。样本包括 354 名患者（91 名已建立；263 名新转介）。进行了描述性、相关性和比较性分析。
在已建立的患者中，93%的患者在大流行后继续接受远程心理治疗 PSO 护理，94%的患者完成了至少一次远程心理治疗预约。在新转介的患者中，50.6%预约了远程心理治疗预约，与前一年的预约率（50%）一致。在预约远程心理治疗 PSO 预约的患者（N=194）中，68 人最初接受了基于电话的服务，其中 20 人转为视频，共有 127 人（76.5%）患者使用基于视频的 PSO 服务。选择基于电话服务的常见原因包括“患者偏好”（N=14）、“缺乏访问权限”（N=9）和“技术障碍”（N=8）。在此期间，18%的患者至少有一次未到场，明显少于前一年（23%）。基于电话的患者年龄明显较大（p=.007）。与女性相比，更多的男性选择基于电话的服务（p=.006）。
远程心理治疗 PSO 在 COVID-19 大流行期间吸引了新老患者。在大流行期间以及远程心理治疗的可用性的情况下，可能会对服务有更多的需求和利用。存在应考虑和解决的差异和获取问题。
