Remote Home Monitoring of Patients With Cancer During the COVID Pandemic: A Pilot Study.

PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic has posed significant challenges in the care of patients with cancer, including how to manage outpatients who are COVID-positive but do not require hospitalization. We explored the use of a remote patient monitoring (RPM) program to care for such outpatients. METHODS: Consecutive patients who were tested for COVID-19 because of symptom onset but were clinically stable were offered enrollment into a pilot RPM program. Patients were provided equipment for vital sign measurements and a computer tablet to enter results three times per day. The results were monitored centrally by clinical staff. The goal was to closely monitor patients and escalate care as warranted. RESULTS: Between March and June of 2020, 29 patients were approached and 26 were enrolled. The mean age was 57 years old (range, 30-88), 14 were women, and patients remained in the program for an average of 16 days (range, 2-63). Twenty-four patients (83%) were on active anticancer therapy. During that time period, only one patient was admitted to the hospital for worsening respiratory symptoms. The percentage of days during which at least one set of data and all three sets of data were entered was 97.2% and 65.7%, respectively. There was no association between the demographic factors of age, sex, or the reason for being monitored with the level of engagement (P > .05). CONCLUSION: In this pilot study, patients with cancer were readily enrolled in a remote home monitoring program. Monitoring was feasible, and there was a high rate of engagement with the program. The role of RPM should be further tested as the COVID pandemic continues.

American Society of Clinical Oncology Road to Recovery Report: Learning From the COVID-19 Experience to Improve Clinical Research and Cancer Care.

This report presents the American Society of Clinical Oncology's (ASCO's) evaluation of the adaptations in care delivery, research operations, and regulatory oversight made in response to the coronavirus pandemic and presents recommendations for moving forward as the pandemic recedes. ASCO organized its recommendations for clinical research around five goals to ensure lessons learned from the COVID-19 experience are used to craft a more equitable, accessible, and efficient clinical research system that protects patient safety, ensures scientific integrity, and maintains data quality. The specific goals are: (1) ensure that clinical research is accessible, affordable, and equitable; (2) design more pragmatic and efficient clinical trials; (3) minimize administrative and regulatory burdens on research sites; (4) recruit, retain, and support a well-trained clinical research workforce; and (5) promote appropriate oversight and review of clinical trial conduct and results. Similarly, ASCO also organized its recommendations regarding cancer care delivery around five goals: (1) promote and protect equitable access to high-quality cancer care; (2) support safe delivery of high-quality cancer care; (3) advance policies to ensure oncology providers have sufficient resources to provide high-quality patient care; (4) recognize and address threats to clinician, provider, and patient well-being; and (5) improve patient access to high-quality cancer care via telemedicine. ASCO will work at all levels to advance the recommendations made in this report.