COVID-19 necessitated the rapid widespread adoption of telehealth in cancer care, which historically has been rarely used routinely, and as such is lacking an empirical evidence base to underpin patient-centered models of care.
Aim: To evaluate perceptions of telehealth in real-world oncological care through a dyadic exploration of matched patient- and clinician- reported acceptability data, and to explore individual factors which may predict greater suitability for telehealth.
Methods: A prospective, cross-sectional, exploratory survey study assessed (matched) patient- and clinician- reported perceptions of telehealth consultations occurring at a metropolitan, tertiary-based cancer centre in Victoria, Australia.
Results: 155 matched patient- and clinician- reported data were included. High rates of acceptability with telehealth were reported by 93% of patients and 91% of clinicians, who mostly shared concordant views (86%). Factors significantly associated with increased acceptability for telehealth, included, for clinicians, greater familiarity with the patient (OR 8.20, 95% CI: 1.50-45.06, p=0.02), and younger patient age (OR 1.06, 95% CI: 0.99-1.13, p=0.05), and for patients was earlier stage disease (≤stage 3) (OR 5.29 95%CI: 1.08-25.82, p=0.04). Lower acceptability for telehealth according to clinicians was associated with poorer patient performance status (OR 0.04, 95% CI 1.00-1.08, p=0.04), and for patients with the need for an interpreter (0R 0.06, 95%CI: 0.008-0.51, p=0.009).
Conclusion: While overall telehealth was an acceptable mode of delivery of cancer care, our findings raise important implications for future service development, which may be considered less optimal for patients with a higher complexity of need – most notably those with more advanced disease stage, poorer performance status, those less well known to existing treating teams, and those who identify to have additional language or technology barriers.