Exploring cancer patients', caregivers', and clinicians' utilisation and experiences of telehealth services during COVID-19: A qualitative study.
Sarah J Smith, Allan Ben Smith, William Kennett and 1 others
PMID 35688719WHAT IT FOUND
Patients and caregivers largely accepted telehealth for routine care, citing convenience and safety.
Clinicians reported reduced job satisfaction and difficulty building rapport, especially via telephone. Most preferred a hybrid model, reserving face-to-face visits for bad news and complex assessments.
Key findings
01Most participants viewed telehealth as an acceptable temporary solution, though clinicians reported decreased job satisfaction and loss of rapport compared to face-to-face interactions.
02Patients and caregivers valued telehealth for avoiding the hospital environment and saving travel time, while clinicians struggled with workflow inefficiencies and the inability to perform physical examinations.
03Almost all participants preferred a future combination of telehealth and face-to-face care, with clinicians stressing the importance of face-to-face consultations for disclosing new diagnoses or bad news.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
All participants were English-speaking, so findings do not reflect the experiences of patients with limited English proficiency. Most interviews were conducted via telephone, which may have biased the sample towards those already comfortable with telehealth and led to more favourable views. The study did not include patients who refused telehealth or had very poor technological access, potentially missing key barriers. Recruitment was affected by a 2021 COVID-19 outbreak, leading to an uneven distribution of urban and rural participants.
Declared interests
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the high patient satisfaction as evidence that telehealth is clinically equivalent to face-to-face care for all conditions. Clinicians in this study explicitly reported that telehealth was inappropriate for physical examinations, disclosing bad news, and managing complex or symptomatic patients, and that the quality of care was often perceived as sub-optimal.