Kunkler I H, Rafferty P, Hill D, Henry M, Foreman D
Department of Clinical Oncology, Western General Hospital, Edinburg, UK.
J Telemed Telecare. 1998;4(2):113-9. doi: 10.1258/1357633981932055.
A pilot study of tele-oncology linking a cancer centre with a rural district general hospital was carried out; it involved patients, physicians, surgeons, radiologists and nursing staff. Its purpose was to complement the existing on-site outpatient services, providing oncological advice on non-clinic days. During the six months of the trial, 18 videoconferences were conducted. Their median duration was 17 min (range 7-40). Eight videoconferences involved patients directly. Acceptability of videoconferencing to doctors, nurses and patients was assessed by a questionnaire. Patients and staff found the technique acceptable and were satisfied with the results. The addition of a teleradiology system to teleconsultations was found to be important when decisions on patient management were taken. Following the success of this pilot trial, large studies of tele-oncology in the UK with measures of cost-effectiveness are needed.
开展了一项将癌症中心与农村地区综合医院相连接的远程肿瘤学试点研究；参与人员包括患者、内科医生、外科医生、放射科医生和护理人员。其目的是补充现有的门诊现场服务，在非门诊日提供肿瘤学建议。在试验的六个月期间，共进行了18次视频会议。会议的中位时长为17分钟（范围为7 - 40分钟）。其中有8次视频会议直接涉及患者。通过问卷调查评估了视频会议对医生、护士和患者的可接受性。患者和工作人员认为该技术是可接受的，并对结果感到满意。研究发现，在进行患者管理决策时，在远程会诊中增加远程放射学系统很重要。鉴于该试点试验取得成功，英国需要开展关于远程肿瘤学的大型研究并评估成本效益。
