College
College of Arts and Sciences
Mentor Information
Sahana Rajasekhara
Description
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare rapidly shifted towards telemedicine, raising questions about its efficacy. Although there is limited research, it is critical to understand how telemedicine affected oncology patients during the pandemic to improve patient care and experiences post-pandemic. This review addresses this gap by evaluating how telemedicine use among adult oncology patients during the pandemic compares with in-person visits regarding quality of care and patient satisfaction. A comprehensive search was performed across multiple databases, mainly PubMed, using keywords related to telemedicine, cancer, and COVID-19. The search yielded 106 unique articles, of which 41 met the inclusion criteria. Two rounds of screening were completed to determine eligibility. The literature analysis revealed high satisfaction with telemedicine among adult cancer patients during COVID-19, with the majority reporting satisfaction levels exceeding 80%. Telemedicine was favored for follow-ups, while in-person visits were preferred for initial consultations and appointments involving physical examinations. Studies predominantly reported no adverse outcomes, higher completion rates, and similar or lower readmission rates when telemedicine was used compared to in-person visits. This indicates that the quality of telemedicine care was equivalent to, if not better than, that of in-person care during the pandemic. The review establishes that oncology quality of care and patient satisfaction can be optimized when telemedicine is used to complement in-person care, rather than act as a complete substitute. Future efforts should focus on improving the integration of telemedicine with in-person oncology care in order to increase efficiency for patients without compromising clinical outcomes or care quality.
Telemedicine vs. In-Person Oncology Care During COVID-19
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare rapidly shifted towards telemedicine, raising questions about its efficacy. Although there is limited research, it is critical to understand how telemedicine affected oncology patients during the pandemic to improve patient care and experiences post-pandemic. This review addresses this gap by evaluating how telemedicine use among adult oncology patients during the pandemic compares with in-person visits regarding quality of care and patient satisfaction. A comprehensive search was performed across multiple databases, mainly PubMed, using keywords related to telemedicine, cancer, and COVID-19. The search yielded 106 unique articles, of which 41 met the inclusion criteria. Two rounds of screening were completed to determine eligibility. The literature analysis revealed high satisfaction with telemedicine among adult cancer patients during COVID-19, with the majority reporting satisfaction levels exceeding 80%. Telemedicine was favored for follow-ups, while in-person visits were preferred for initial consultations and appointments involving physical examinations. Studies predominantly reported no adverse outcomes, higher completion rates, and similar or lower readmission rates when telemedicine was used compared to in-person visits. This indicates that the quality of telemedicine care was equivalent to, if not better than, that of in-person care during the pandemic. The review establishes that oncology quality of care and patient satisfaction can be optimized when telemedicine is used to complement in-person care, rather than act as a complete substitute. Future efforts should focus on improving the integration of telemedicine with in-person oncology care in order to increase efficiency for patients without compromising clinical outcomes or care quality.
