Medical oncology healthcare professionals often have conflicting opinions regarding the clinical effectiveness, patient experience, access to care, and financial impact of using telehealth video consultations, US research shows.

Black patients, those with Medicaid insurance, and those living in disadvantaged areas are less likely to have a successful thoracic oncology telemedicine visit than other patients, US research suggests.

The majority of patients with cancer and their physicians report a preference for in-person visits rather than telemedicine consultations, suggest results of a survey carried out at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

They note, however, that the decline was not linked to increased use of telehealth, and add: “[O]ther long-term consequences of the pandemic, such as staffing shortages, higher administrative burdens, and frequent protocol changes, could have been associated with lower SAE reporting and should be explored in future studies.”

Mitigation strategies were employed to improve enrollment, of which the most common were modified monitoring requirements, telehealth visits, and labs at non-study facilities, as highlighted by 44%, 43%, and 27%, of respondents, respectively.

“Our findings call for planning to address the consequences of delayed diagnoses, including strengthened clinical telehealth offerings supporting patient-clinician interactions.” medwireNews is an independent medical news service provided by Springer Healthcare Ltd. © 2021 Springer Healthcare Ltd, part of the Springer Nature Group 6 September 2021: The coronavirus pandemic is affecting all healthcare professionals across the globe.

Remote symptom monitoring  is associated with a reduced symptom burden and improved quality of life in people with cancer receiving adjuvant chemotherapy, trial findings indicate.

RPM linked to reduced symptom burden, improved QoL   Presenting author Kathi Mooney, from the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, said that “while there is always an interest in reducing avoidable health care utilization, during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an imperative to decrease viral exposure and pivot care whenever possible to the home, through telehealth and remote monitoring.”

In multivariable analyses, increasing age and SES quartile were significantly associated with lower rates of cancer screening in 2020 versus 2019, whereas the use of telehealth was associated with significantly higher screening rates.

The researchers highlight that the study results point to “the overall adequacy of current, detailed infection control policies in limiting environmental surface contamination with SARS-CoV-2,” which included telephone screening, telemedicine, nurse-led triage of patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, visitor restrictions, use of personal protective equipment, social distancing, and disinfection protocols.

Digital health systems that allow patients to self-report toxicities related to cancer therapies can be successfully adapted to screen for COVID-19, Belgian researchers report.

Overall, six (1%) patients were diagnosed with COVID‐19, of whom four had the disease detected through telehealth triage.

Thoracic oncology nurse practitioner Beth Sandy explains how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting cancer patient care and how strategies such as telemedicine are coming into their own.

They continue: “In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many major cancer centers have implemented policies such as screening all patients, staff, and providers for COVID-19 symptoms and travel history, minimizing follow-up visits and admissions, training staff in using personal protective equipment, engaging in telehealth and WebEx meetings, providing COVID-19 hotline and response teams, and placing restrictions on employee business travel.”

“Planning may entail more robust digital technology to strengthen clinical telehealth offerings and other patient-clinician interactions, including self-service scheduling across specialties and well-designed collection processes.” medwireNews is an independent medical news service provided by Springer Healthcare Ltd. © 2020 Springer Healthcare Ltd, part of the Springer Nature Group 25 August 2020: The coronavirus pandemic is affecting all healthcare professionals across the globe.

Kevin Hughes (Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA) and colleagues emphasize that due to the perceived “lack of urgency” associated with these usually elective consultations, they have continued to decline even though “the initial consultation and testing can be done via telemedicine, with the saliva sample kit being sent to the patient’s home.”

The authors recommend extending intervals for routine monitoring to reduce the risk for SARS-CoV-2 transmission and modifying treatments (including steroid use) to reduce immunosuppression, and they also outline situations in which to prioritize in-person visits over telemedicine.

The report is based on a review by ASCO clinical experts of policies and practices adopted or planned by cancer facilities as well as guidance issued by governmental agencies and medical societies, and it covers subjects ranging from best practices for triage and screening, to telemedicine and the diagnosis and care of cancer patients who acquire SARS-CoV-2 infection.