Your browser doesn't support javascript.
The Breast Cancer Patient Experience of Telemedicine During COVID-19.
Cadili, Lina; DeGirolamo, Kristin; Ma, Crystal Suet-Ying; Chen, Leo; McKevitt, Elaine; Pao, Jin-Si; Dingee, Carol; Bazzarelli, Amy; Warburton, Rebecca.
  • Cadili L; Division of General Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. lina.cadili@alumni.ubc.ca.
  • DeGirolamo K; Division of General Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
  • Ma CS; Providence Breast Centre, Mount Saint Joseph Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
  • Chen L; Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
  • McKevitt E; Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
  • Pao JS; Division of General Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
  • Dingee C; Providence Breast Centre, Mount Saint Joseph Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
  • Bazzarelli A; Division of General Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
  • Warburton R; Providence Breast Centre, Mount Saint Joseph Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Ann Surg Oncol ; 29(4): 2244-2252, 2022 Apr.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1533390
ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:

The COVID-19 pandemic has seen major shifts in the delivery of health care across the world, including adoption of telemedicine. We present a survey of patient experience with telemedicine for the treatment of breast cancer.

METHODS:

A questionnaire designed to assess patient satisfaction with telemedicine was distributed to all patients who underwent surgery at the Providence Breast Centre (PBC) for breast cancer or benign/high-risk lesions with surgery follow-up dates between October 13 and December 31, 2020. Surveys were conducted via phone or at in-person follow-ups.

RESULTS:

A total of 123 of 172 (72%) eligible patients completed the survey; 85% of these patients enjoyed their telemedicine consultation, 93% found there was enough time for dialogue, 66% would choose to have a telemedicine consultation again, 79% would recommend telemedicine at PBC to a friend or family member, and 92% found Zoom© easy to use. When asked whether they prefer a telemedicine initial consultation over an in-person, 28% of patients agreed. When patients are analyzed according to their home address, those more than 10-km away from PBC prefer telemedicine over in-person appointments (37%) more often than those who live less than 10-km away (23%) (p = 0.045).

CONCLUSIONS:

Patients report a high level of satisfaction with telemedicine. It may be worthwhile to continue telemedicine beyond the pandemic era, due to its convenience, efficiency, and low-cost while keeping patients, physicians, and office staff safe. It also may be more useful in large geographic areas, such as British Columbia to increase access to care.
Subject(s)

Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Breast Neoplasms / Telemedicine / COVID-19 Type of study: Cohort study / Observational study / Prognostic study Limits: Female / Humans Language: English Journal: Ann Surg Oncol Journal subject: Neoplasms Year: 2022 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: S10434-021-11103-w

Similar

MEDLINE

...
LILACS

LIS


Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Breast Neoplasms / Telemedicine / COVID-19 Type of study: Cohort study / Observational study / Prognostic study Limits: Female / Humans Language: English Journal: Ann Surg Oncol Journal subject: Neoplasms Year: 2022 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: S10434-021-11103-w