Clinicians' Perceptions of the Benefits and Challenges of Teleoncology as Experienced Through the COVID-19 Pandemic: Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 thrust both patients and clinicians to use telemedicine in place of traditional in-person visits. Prepandemic, limited research had examined clinician-patient communication in telemedicine visits. The shift to telemedicine in oncology, or teleoncology, has placed attention on how the technology can be utilized to provide care for patients with cancer. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to describe oncology clinicians' experiences with teleoncology and to uncover its benefits and challenges during the first 10 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: In-depth, semistructured qualitative interviews were conducted with oncology clinicians. Using an inductive, thematic approach, the most prevalent themes were identified. RESULTS: In total, 21 interviews with oncology clinicians revealed the following themes: benefits of teleoncology, such as (1) reducing patients' travel time and expenses, (2) limiting COVID-19 exposure, and (3) enabling clinicians to "see" a patients' lifestyle and environment, and challenges, such as (1) technological connection difficulties, (2) inability to physically examine patients, and (3) patients' frustration related to clinicians being late to teleoncology appointments. CONCLUSIONS: Teleoncology has many benefits and is well suited for specific types of appointments. Challenges could be addressed through improved communication when scheduling appointments to make patients aware about what to expect. Ensuring patients have the proper technology to participate in teleoncology and an understanding about how it functions are necessary.

Blood cancer caregiving during COVID-19: understanding caregivers' needs.

The COVID-19 pandemic likely exacerbated caregiving challenges for caregivers of parents diagnosed with a blood cancer. Providing care during a public health crisis presents a complex web of uncertainties regarding cancer care, personal health, and COVID-19 risk. Identifying caregivers' uncertainty experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic can be a first step in learning where to direct resources or alter policies to ensure that they can not only perform their caregiver role but also cope in health-promoting ways. Using uncertainty management theory, this study explored how the pandemic has impacted adult child caregivers' experiences caring for a parent diagnosed with a blood cancer, as well as their experiences of uncertainty and uncertainty management. As part of a larger study on blood cancer caregivers' needs, a survey was administered from March 30 to June 1, 2020, to recruit caregivers through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. A qualitative and quantitative content analysis was conducted on open-ended responses from 84 caregivers. Caregivers described changes illustrating the complexity of providing care during a pandemic: (a) increased fears and uncertainty-related distress, b) reduced in-person care opportunities, (c) increased isolation, and (d) enhanced family communication. Caregivers with parents diagnosed with acute blood cancers used significantly more uncertainty management strategies and had more sources of uncertainty than caregivers with parents living with chronic blood cancer types. Findings highlight the need for supportive services to help caregivers manage uncertainty and improve their capacity to provide care in an unpredictable global health crisis. Such support may reduce poor psychosocial outcomes.