Department of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Department of Medical Education, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
ANZ J Surg. 2022 Jun;92(6):1415-1422. doi: 10.1111/ans.17722. Epub 2022 May 1.
Telemedicine has been effective in the management of various medical conditions, however, there is limited knowledge of its use in head and neck oncosurveillance. This is of importance currently while trying to mitigate the risk of transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to evaluate acceptability, satisfaction and perceptions of telemedicine technology among outpatients for head and neck oncologic surveillance.
A cross-sectional study was conducted for head and neck surgical oncology patients who attended telemedicine consultations between March and October 2020 at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Data on demographic, socioeconomic and acceptability variables was collected, utilizing Likert scale questions. The primary outcome measures were patient satisfaction and perceptions, while the secondary outcome was access to technology.
One hundred and fifteen patients were invited to participate, and 100 were included in the final analysis; 95% of patient's had a positive experience with telemedicine appointments and were willing to have future telemedicine appointments. Regional and rural patients were more accepting of telemedicine consultations, citing savings in travel time and the minimal disruption to normal day-to-day activities. All participants had access to telecommunication devices, with 63% having three or more devices. Issues identified include a lack of physical examination by clinician for 65% of participants and the inability to self-examine for 88% of participants.
The study demonstrates patients' acceptance of telemedicine appointments as a component of outpatient surveillance for head and neck surgical oncology. This has benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic in addition to increasing accessibility for rural patients.
远程医疗在处理各种医疗状况方面已经取得了成效，然而，对于其在头颈部肿瘤监测中的应用，我们的了解有限。在当前努力减轻 COVID-19 大流行期间传播风险的情况下，这一点尤为重要。本研究旨在评估远程医疗技术在头颈部肿瘤监测门诊患者中的可接受性、满意度和认知。
这是一项在 2020 年 3 月至 10 月期间在彼得·麦卡伦癌症中心进行的头颈部外科肿瘤患者的横断面研究。收集了人口统计学、社会经济学和可接受性变量的数据，利用李克特量表问题。主要结局指标是患者的满意度和认知，次要结局指标是技术的可及性。
共邀请了 115 名患者参与，其中 100 名患者纳入最终分析；95%的患者对远程医疗预约有积极的体验，并愿意接受未来的远程医疗预约。区域和农村患者更能接受远程医疗咨询，他们认为这样可以节省旅行时间，对日常生活的干扰最小。所有参与者都能使用远程通信设备，其中 63%的人有三种或更多设备。发现的问题包括 65%的参与者无法由医生进行体格检查，88%的参与者无法自行检查。
本研究表明，患者接受远程医疗预约作为头颈部外科肿瘤门诊监测的一部分。这在 COVID-19 大流行期间除了增加农村患者的可及性之外，还有益于提高患者的满意度。
