Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, 460 W. 10(th) Ave, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; College of Nursing, The Ohio State University, 1585 Neil Ave., Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
Physical Therapy Program, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 E 17th Ave., Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
J Geriatr Oncol. 2022 Nov;13(8):1223-1229. doi: 10.1016/j.jgo.2022.08.004. Epub 2022 Aug 16.
COVID-19 has resulted in reliance on telecommunication technologies for the provision of supportive cancer care. However, research on the use of these resources among older adults, who are the majority of cancer survivors, is limited. The objective of this study was to gather information on older cancer survivors' perspectives and use of telehealth their cancer survivorship care in the United States.
Potential participants were recruited through ResearchMatch® from December 2020-January 2021. Online semi-structured interviews were conducted. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the participants' demographic and health characteristics. Content analysis were conducted by two independent coders for identification of common themes. Coding agreement was reached through consensus, and count comparisons of participant responses were made.
The majority of respondents (n = 21; mean age = 73.5 ± 4.9) were female (57%), White (90%), and had a variety of cancer diagnoses. Participants reported using a variety of technology devices and telehealth products. Older cancer survivors (n = 10) endorsed telehealth video use for physical health concerns and basic check-ups, but some (n = 4) preferred in-person visits for major concerns and sensitive issues (e.g., mental health). Half of participants reported mobile health app use; however, ten participants did not use these apps as they felt the technology was not useful. Barriers to health technology use included missing face-to-face connections with providers, lack of familiarity with the technology, and perceived lack of utility and personalized telehealth platforms. Lastly, video-based conferencing and social media site use among seventeen participants was reported for social interaction during the COVID-19 pandemic.
These findings suggest that older cancer survivors utilize online platforms for their general health; however, they prefer in-person visits for serious issues and value personalization with telehealth. Despite from a highly educated sample of ResearchMatch® participants, these results can be used to inform clinicians and researchers about the appropriateness and provision of telehealth-based supportive care among older cancer survivors.
COVID-19 大流行期间，人们依赖远程通信技术来提供癌症支持性护理。然而，针对癌症幸存者中大多数人群（老年人）使用这些资源的研究是有限的。本研究的目的是收集美国老年癌症幸存者对远程医疗的看法及其在癌症生存管理中的使用情况。
2020 年 12 月至 2021 年 1 月期间，通过 ResearchMatch® 招募潜在参与者。进行了在线半结构化访谈。使用描述性统计分析参与者的人口统计学和健康特征。两位独立编码员对内容进行分析，以确定常见主题。通过达成共识达成编码协议，并对参与者的回复计数进行比较。
大多数受访者（n=21；平均年龄=73.5±4.9）为女性（57%）、白人（90%），患有多种癌症诊断。参与者报告使用了各种技术设备和远程医疗产品。10 名老年癌症幸存者（n=10）支持使用远程医疗视频进行身体健康问题和基本检查，但有 4 名（n=4）更倾向于亲自就诊，用于重大问题和敏感问题（如心理健康）。一半的参与者报告使用移动健康应用程序；然而，有 10 名参与者不使用这些应用程序，因为他们觉得这些技术没有用。健康技术使用的障碍包括与提供者失去面对面的联系、不熟悉技术以及认为缺乏实用性和个性化的远程医疗平台。最后，17 名参与者报告了在 COVID-19 大流行期间使用视频会议和社交媒体网站进行社交互动。
这些发现表明，老年癌症幸存者利用在线平台进行一般健康管理；然而，他们更倾向于亲自就诊，用于严重问题，并重视远程医疗的个性化。尽管这些结果来自 ResearchMatch® 参与者的高度教育样本，但它们可以为临床医生和研究人员提供信息，了解在老年癌症幸存者中提供基于远程医疗的支持性护理的适当性。
