Avtor/Urednik		Oražem, Miha; Oblak, Irena; Španić, Tanja; Ratoša, Ivica
Naslov		Telemedicine in radiation oncology post-COVID-19 pandemic
Tip		članek
Vol. in št.		Letnik 108, št. 2
Leto izdaje		2020
Obseg		str. 411-415
ISSN		0360-3016 - International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics
Jezik		eng
Abstrakt		We aimed to assess patients% and physicians% perspectives on wider implementation of telemedicine in radiation oncology practice, disrupted by the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods Quantitative questionnaires were prepared and distributed between May 27 and June 11, 2020. A 29-question survey targeting patients with cancer was distributed electronically via cancer support organizations. Cross-sectional data from a selected weekday at a radiation oncology department were also analyzed. In addition, a 25-question survey was distributed to 168 physicians employed by a comprehensive cancer center. Results In total, we have analyzed 468 patients% and 101 physicians% responses. Among responding patients, 310 were undergoing active treatment and 158 were in follow-up care. Both patients and physicians reported no experiences with video consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic, but 15% of patients stated that they missed telemedicine services that would include a video call. Overall, 30.6% of patients expressed interest in more frequent usage of telemedicine and 23.3% would start using it. Sixty-seven percent of radiation oncologists expressed interest in more frequent usage of telemedicine, and 14% would use it similarly as in the past. For patients treated with radiation therapy (RT), 59.9% and 63.4% of the responding patients acknowledged that video consultations would be an important addition to medical care during RT course or after the completion of RT, respectively. Comparably, 61.1% and 63.9% of radiation oncologists believed video consultations would be useful or extremely useful for patients undergoing RT or for patients in the follow-up setting, respectively. Conclusions The post%COVID-19 era represents a unique chance to improve and guarantee continuity of cancer care via telemedicine solutions, when appropriate.
Proste vsebinske oznake		telemedicina radioterapija onkologija covid-19 telemedicine radiotherapy oncology covid-19