Department of Health, Welfare and Organization, Østfold University College/Østfold Hospital Trust, Postal box code (PB) 700, 1757, Halden, Norway.
Department of Health, Welfare and Organization, Østfold University College, PB 700, NO-1757, Halden, Norway.
BMC Health Serv Res. 2022 Apr 6;22(1):453. doi: 10.1186/s12913-022-07897-4.
The COVID-19 pandemic triggered an unprecedented demand for digital health technology solutions, such as remote monitoring. Previous research has focused on patients with chronic diseases, and their experiences with remote monitoring during the pandemic. Several recommendations have been presented to reduce the frequency of cancer patients' visits to oncology centers and minimizing the risk of exposure to COVID-19, such as remote monitoring. However, few studies have explored how this has influenced the healthcare services to cancer patients.
To explore cancer patients' perspectives on remote monitoring at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The study had a qualitative design, using in-depth, individual interviews.
A total of eleven interviews were conducted with patients who received remote monitoring during the COVID-19 outbreak. Three of the interviews were conducted by telephone, and eight on a digital platform, audio recorded, and transcribed verbatime. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis as recommended by Braun & Clarke.
All participants were conscious about being vulnerable to infections due to having cancer and receiving cancer treatment, and the pandemic to them represented an extra burden. Most of the participants experienced that their healthcare services had changed due to the pandemic, but there was no consensus on how the services had changed. All of the participants presented remote monitoring as something «new». Whether they received remote monitoring by telephone, video consultations or more advanced solutions with the possibility to complete a questionnaire or fill in measurements, did not seem to impact their views. However, all agreed that remote monitoring could never totally replace physical consultations in hospital. Participants' views seemed to grow more positive over time, but still they emphasized both positive and negative aspects of remote monitoring solutions in cancer care.
Remote monitoring was introduced as a necessity in cancer care during the COVID-19 outbreak. This may seem as an efficient solution, allowing for patients to stay at home and avoid infection. Our results indicate that, in the case of cancer patients, it is important that healthcare personnel balance the remote monitoring solution with person-to-person contact.
COVID-19 大流行引发了对数字医疗技术解决方案（如远程监测）的空前需求。以前的研究主要集中在慢性病患者，以及他们在大流行期间远程监测的体验。已经提出了一些建议来减少癌症患者前往肿瘤中心就诊的频率，并最大限度地降低感染 COVID-19 的风险，例如远程监测。然而，很少有研究探讨这如何影响癌症患者的医疗服务。
探讨 COVID-19 大流行期间癌症患者在家远程监测的看法。
本研究采用定性设计，使用深入的个人访谈。
共对 11 名在 COVID-19 爆发期间接受远程监测的患者进行了访谈。其中 3 次通过电话进行，8 次通过数字平台进行，录音并逐字转录。数据采用 Braun & Clarke 推荐的反思性主题分析进行分析。
所有参与者都意识到由于患有癌症和接受癌症治疗，他们容易受到感染，大流行对他们来说是额外的负担。大多数参与者表示，由于大流行，他们的医疗服务发生了变化，但对服务如何变化没有共识。所有参与者都将远程监测视为一种“新事物”。他们是否通过电话、视频咨询或更先进的解决方案进行远程监测，具有完成问卷或填写测量值的可能性，似乎并没有影响他们的看法。然而，所有人都认为远程监测永远无法完全替代医院的物理咨询。随着时间的推移，参与者的观点似乎变得更加积极，但他们仍然强调远程监测在癌症护理中的积极和消极方面。
在 COVID-19 大流行期间，远程监测被引入癌症护理中作为一种必要手段。这似乎是一种有效的解决方案，可以让患者留在家里避免感染。我们的结果表明，对于癌症患者，医护人员平衡远程监测解决方案与人际接触非常重要。
