ABSTRACT
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many oncology practices began offering virtual visits via video and/or telephone. How such visits are perceived by Black patients, who have historically faced access barriers and poorer cancer outcomes, is not known. We elicited Black patients' perceptions of and experiences with oncology virtual visits. We conducted in-depth, semi-structured telephone interviews with Black adults receiving oncology care for head and neck cancer, prostate cancer, and multiple myeloma between 6/1/19 - 3/20/21 from two US-based academic health systems. The interview guide elicited virtual visit perceptions and experiences within predefined themes (e.g., ease of use, usefulness, communication quality, appropriateness). Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and coded for a priori themes and new ones identified during data immersion. Two trained research assistants coded transcripts, using Atlas.ti for data management. Forty-nine adults completed an interview between 9/2021 and 2/2022 (n=16 head and neck, n=16 prostate, and n=17 multiple myeloma);mean age 63 years (range: 39-75), 53% male, and 77% ever having a virtual visit. Participants indicated communication with their doctor and privacy was comparable between in-person and virtual visits but expressed feeling less human connectedness during virtual visits. They cited convenience advantages (e.g., being home, flexibility when physicians run late, and reduced travel barriers);however, they also reported preferring in-person visits, due to wanting doctors to conduct physical examinations or needing in-person testing. Participants described wanting a choice regarding visit type and valued it when physicians articulated the option to conduct an in-person visit (i.e., patient-centeredness in scheduling). To overcome technical barriers to virtual visit attendance, patients received assistance from adult children, physicians, and other support. We identified barriers to and facilitators of virtual visit use among Black patients receiving cancer care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Patient Education & Counseling is the property of Elsevier B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has significant impact on long-term care (LTC) residents' health and well-being. OBJECTIVES: This study investigated resident experiences of loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canadian LTC homes to offer lessons learned and implications. METHODS: 15 residents and 16 staff members were recruited from two large urban Canadian LTC homes with large outbreaks and fatalities. We used a telepresence robot to conduct one-on-one semi-structured interviews with participants remotely. We applied the Collaborative Action Research (CAR) methodology and report the early phase of CAR focused on collecting data and reporting findings to inform actions for change. Thematic analysis was performed to identify themes. RESULTS: Four themes were identified. The first two themes characterise what commonly generated feelings of loneliness amongst residents, including (1) social isolation and missing their family and friends and (2) feeling hopeless and grieving for lives lost. The second two themes describe what helped residents alleviate loneliness, including (3) social support and (4) creating opportunities for recreation and promoting positivity. CONCLUSIONS: Residents living in LTC experienced significant social isolation and grief during the pandemic that resulted in loneliness and other negative health consequences. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Promoting meaningful connection, safe recreational activities and a positive atmosphere in LTC homes during the pandemic may help mitigate residents' experiences of loneliness due to social isolation and/or grief and enhance their quality of life.
ABSTRACT
Importance: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic required the rapid transition to telehealth with the aim of providing patients with medical access and supporting clinicians while abiding by the stay-at-home orders. Objective: To assess demographic and socioeconomic factors associated with patient participation in telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study included all pediatric and adult patient encounters at the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery in a tertiary care, academic, multisubspecialty, multisite practice located in an early hot spot for the COVID-19 pandemic from March 17 to May 1, 2020. Encounters included completed synchronous virtual, telephone, and in-person visits as well as visit no-shows. Main Outcomes and Measures: Patient demographic characteristics, insurance status, and 2010 Census block level data as a proxy for socioeconomic status were extracted. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were created for patient-level comparisons. Results: Of the 1162 patients (604 females [52.0%]; median age, 55 [range, 0-97] years) included, 990 completed visits; of these, 437 (44.1%) completed a virtual visit. After multivariate adjustment, females (odds ratio [OR], 1.71; 95% CI, 1.11-2.63) and patients with preferred provider organization insurance (OR, 2.70; 95% CI, 1.40-5.20) were more likely to complete a virtual visit compared with a telephone visit. Increasing age (OR per year, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.98-0.99) and being in the lowest median household income quartile (OR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.42-0.86) were associated with lower odds of completing a virtual visit overall. Those patients within the second (OR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.28-0.99) and lowest (OR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.17-0.62) quartiles of median household income by census block and those with Medicaid, no insurance, or other public insurance (OR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.23-0.94) were more likely to complete a telephone visit. Finally, being within the lower 2 quartiles of proportion being married (OR for third quartile, 0.49 [95% CI, 0.29-0.86]; OR for lowest quartile, 0.39 [95% CI, 0.23-0.67]) was associated with higher likelihood of a no-show visit. Conclusions and Relevance: These findings suggest that age, sex, median household income, insurance status, and marital status are associated with patient participation in telehealth. These findings identify vulnerable patient populations who may not engage with telehealth, yet still require medical care in a changing health care delivery landscape.