Gottlob Anita, Schmitt Tugce, Frydensberg Morten Sønderskov, Rosińska Magdalena, Leclercq Victoria, Habimana Katharina
Gesundheit Österreich GmbH, National Institute of Public Health, Vienna, Austria.
Cancer Centre, Sciensano, National Public Health Institute, Brussels, Belgium.
Eur J Public Health. 2025 Feb 1;35(1):35-41. doi: 10.1093/eurpub/ckae206.
The COVID-19 pandemic challenged healthcare delivery, especially cancer care. Telemedicine emerged as an important tool to reduce disease transmission risks, maintain continuity of care, and improve accessibility. This study explores temporary measures during the pandemic as well as challenges and facilitators for integrating telemedicine into the European healthcare landscape in five case countries, focusing on cancer care. Expert interviews were conducted in five EU countries with diverse health systems: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, and Poland. A thematic analysis was performed. Themes were further explored related to regulatory changes during COVID-19 as well as barriers and facilitators to telemedicine implementation. COVID-19 accelerated telemedicine uptake and processes (i.e. regulations, reimbursement) in all case countries. Acceptance of telemedicine increased among healthcare professionals and patients. Post-pandemic telemedicine use and acceptance declined to pre-pandemic levels in some countries and was attributed to several factors including preferences for in-person visits. Overall, persistent barriers were identified by all country experts including lack of standardized policies, data privacy concerns, technological infrastructure issues, and digital literacy gaps. Telemedicine was validated by all country experts as an important tool to enhance cancer care access and efficiency and to help maintaining continuity of cancer care during crises. Our findings highlight some overlapping barriers and suggest solutions to overcome these barriers across the selected countries. Recommendations for policymakers are listed, emphasizing the importance of telemedicine services in improving healthcare access, efficiency, and resilience. Future research should incorporate diverse population studies, patient perspectives, cost-effectiveness, and policy impacts.
新冠疫情对医疗服务，尤其是癌症护理构成了挑战。远程医疗成为降低疾病传播风险、维持护理连续性以及提高可及性的一项重要工具。本研究探讨了疫情期间的临时措施，以及在五个案例国家将远程医疗融入欧洲医疗格局所面临的挑战与促进因素，重点关注癌症护理。在五个具有不同卫生系统的欧盟国家开展了专家访谈，这五个国家分别是奥地利、比利时、丹麦、意大利和波兰。进行了主题分析。进一步探讨了与新冠疫情期间监管变化以及远程医疗实施的障碍和促进因素相关的主题。新冠疫情加速了所有案例国家远程医疗的采用和相关流程（即法规、报销）。医疗保健专业人员和患者对远程医疗的接受度有所提高。在一些国家，疫情后远程医疗的使用和接受度降至疫情前水平，这归因于包括对面对面就诊的偏好在内的若干因素。总体而言，所有国家的专家都确定了一些持续存在的障碍，包括缺乏标准化政策、数据隐私问题、技术基础设施问题以及数字素养差距。所有国家的专家都认可远程医疗是增强癌症护理可及性和效率以及在危机期间帮助维持癌症护理连续性的一项重要工具。我们的研究结果突出了一些重叠的障碍，并提出了在选定国家克服这些障碍的解决方案。列出了对政策制定者的建议，强调了远程医疗服务在改善医疗可及性、效率和恢复力方面的重要性。未来的研究应纳入不同人群研究、患者观点、成本效益以及政策影响。
