Perceptions and acceptance of telemedicine among medical oncologists before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: As a result of technological developments in healthcare services, telemedicine is becoming widespread. We aimed to determine the effect of COVID-19 on Turkish medical oncologists' opinions of telemedicine through a survey. METHODS: This study was conducted using an online questionnaire linked to an invitation e-mail sent to the members of the Turkish Medical Oncology Association mailing group between May and July 2020. RESULTS: Of the 110 (73 males and 37 females) medical oncologists who answered the questionnaire, the average age was 43.9 ± 7.29 (range 31-64) years, and the majority of the respondents were academics. The most commonly used telemedicine method was store and forward (69.7%). Telemedicine use during clinical visits and multidisciplinary councils increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic (p < 0.001 in both cases). CONCLUSION: The use of telemedicine increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the pandemic has led oncologists to view telemedicine more positively.