Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Philadelphia, PA.
Department of Emergency Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA.
JCO Oncol Pract. 2021 Sep;17(9):e1333-e1343. doi: 10.1200/OP.21.00086. Epub 2021 Jul 21.
Telehealth in medical oncology has expanded secondary to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, quantitative research on medical oncology telehealth use shows conflicting results on patient satisfaction, whereas qualitative data are sparse. Our qualitative study aimed to identify the factors influencing patient acceptability of video visits for medical oncology care before and at the onset of the expansion of telehealth because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted between November 2019 and April 2020 with 20 patients who participated in a telehealth visit with a medical oncology provider at Thomas Jefferson University.
Of the 20 participants, 13 (65%) were female and 15 (75%) were White, with a mean (standard deviation) age of 60.5 years (11.8). Patients identified convenience, anxiety, COVID-19, and provider preference as positively influencing the acceptability of video visits; however, some patients noted limitations in provider connection, physical examinations, and visit length as disadvantages. Regarding receipt of serious or bad news, some preferred video visits for privacy, immediacy of results, news processing, and family comfort. Others preferred in-person encounters for provider support and the ability to receive written information and in-person referrals.
Patient-perceived factors influencing general acceptability, appropriateness of serious and bad news delivery, and future uses of telehealth were unique to each individual, but shared common themes. Understanding each patient's perspective of telehealth acceptability and tailoring use to their preferences is critical for continued utilization. Further research is needed to understand and address reasons for lack of telehealth uptake among certain patients.
由于 COVID-19 大流行，医学肿瘤学的远程医疗得到了扩展。然而，关于医学肿瘤学远程医疗使用的定量研究结果显示患者满意度存在矛盾，而定性数据则很少。我们的定性研究旨在确定在 COVID-19 大流行导致远程医疗扩展之前和之后影响患者接受医学肿瘤学远程医疗护理的视频访问的因素。
2019 年 11 月至 2020 年 4 月，我们对 20 名在托马斯杰斐逊大学接受医学肿瘤学提供者远程医疗访问的患者进行了半结构化访谈。
在 20 名参与者中，有 13 名（65%）为女性，15 名（75%）为白人，平均（标准差）年龄为 60.5 岁（11.8）。患者认为方便、焦虑、COVID-19 和提供者偏好会正面影响视频访问的可接受性；然而，一些患者指出提供者联系、体检和访问时间有限等方面存在局限性。关于接收严重或坏消息，一些人希望通过视频访问来保护隐私、即时获得结果、处理消息和让家人感到舒适。其他人则更喜欢亲自就诊，以便获得书面信息和亲自转诊，并获得提供者的支持。
影响一般可接受性、严重和坏消息传递的适当性以及远程医疗未来使用的患者感知因素因人而异，但有共同的主题。了解每个患者对远程医疗接受度的看法，并根据他们的偏好调整使用方法至关重要。需要进一步研究以了解和解决某些患者缺乏远程医疗接受度的原因。
