Patient perspectives and experiences of the rapid implementation of digital consultations during COVID-19 - a qualitative study among women with gynecological cancer.
Support Care Cancer
; 30(3): 2545-2554, 2022 Mar.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1525538
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE:
Due to the first COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent restrictions, standard practice for gynecological cancer quickly evolved to include additional digital consultations. Women with gynecological cancer have a high need for information and experience a high symptom burden. We aimed to explore the experiences and perspectives of the rapid implementation of digital consultations during COVID-19.METHODS:
We conducted individual telephone interviews with patients with gynecological cancer 1-4 days after a telephone or video consultation during the COVID-19 outbreak in April and May 2020. We applied Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis to analyze the qualitative data.RESULTS:
Thirty-two patients with ovarian (50%), cervical (35%), vulvar (12%), and vaginal cancer (3%) participated in the study. The patients experienced that, combined, cancer and COVID-19 restrictions made their situation twice as challenging. In general, the patients valued face-to-face consultations, recommending that they were ideal for the initial appointment to build trust. Overall, there was a willingness to participate in digital consultations because of the restrictions, but the results also showed varying degrees of openness and that individual solutions were favored.CONCLUSION:
The findings of this study show that digital consultations were an accepted alternative during COVID-19. Even though this temporary solution was deemed to be beneficial for practical reasons, patients also experienced digital consultations to be impersonal. A key message is that face-to-face encounters create the foundation to establish a trusting relationship from where a valuable dialogue arises. Digital consultations should therefore be implemented with caution since no one-size-fits-all model is recommended. Among patients with gynecological cancer, however, digital technologies represent a promising and flexible method depending on the purpose of consultations, patient preferences, and needs.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
COVID-19
/
Neoplasms
Type of study:
Qualitative research
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Support Care Cancer
Journal subject:
Neoplasms
/
Health Services
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S00520-021-06651-6
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