Telehealth in cancer care: during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic

Kate Burbury; Zee-Wan Wong; Desmond Yip; Huw Thomas; Peter Brooks; Leslie Gilham; Amanda Piper; Ilana Solo; Craig Underhill

doi:10.1111/imj.15039

Telehealth in cancer care: during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic

Intern Med J. 2021 Jan;51(1):125-133. doi: 10.1111/imj.15039.

Authors

Kate Burbury¹, Zee-Wan Wong^{2

3}, Desmond Yip^{4

5}, Huw Thomas¹, Peter Brooks⁶, Leslie Gilham^{7

8}, Amanda Piper⁹, Ilana Solo^{10

11}, Craig Underhill^{12

13

14}

Affiliations

¹ Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute, Melbourne, Australia.
² Peninsula Health, Melbourne, Australia.
³ Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
⁴ The Canberra Hospital, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
⁵ Australia National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
⁶ University of Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, Centre for Health Policy, Melbourne, Australia.
⁷ Breast Cancer Network Australia, Melbourne, Australia.
⁸ Breast Cancer Trials, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.
⁹ Cancer Council Victoria, Melbourne, Australia.
¹⁰ Loddon Mallee Integrated Cancer Service, Victoria, Australia.
¹¹ Bendigo Health, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia.
¹² Border Medical Oncology and Haematology, Albury, Albury, New South Wales, Australia.
¹³ University of UNSW Rural Clinical School, Albury Campus, Albury, New South Wales, Australia.
¹⁴ Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has precipitated the rapid uptake of telehealth in cancer care and in other fields. Many of the changes made in routine clinical practice could be embedded beyond the duration of the pandemic. This is intended as a practical guide to cancer clinicians and others in establishing and improving the quality of consultations performed by telehealth.

Keywords: COVID-19; cancer; health services administration; telehealth.

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Humans
Medical Oncology / trends*
Neoplasms* / therapy
Pandemics*
Telemedicine / trends*