USE AND PERCEPTIONS OF TELEHEALTH-BASED SUPPORTIVE CANCER CARE AMONG OLDER SURVIVORS

ABSTRACT

Introduction Telehealth-based supportive care has proliferated, particularly during COVID-19. However, research on the use of these resources among older adults, who are the majority of cancer survivors, is limited. This study utilized online semi-structured interviews to gather older cancer survivors' use and perceptions of telehealth-based supportive care. Methods Participants were recruited through ResearchMatch. Content analyses were conducted by two independent coders for identification of common themes. SPSS IBM 27.0 was used for descriptive analyses. Results The majority of participants (n=21;mean age=73.5±4.9) were female (57%), White (90%), and had a variety of cancer diagnoses. Ten (47.6%) survivors had prior experience with telehealth use. More than half (52.3%) of survivors reported interest in using telehealth for symptom management. One-third of survivors were interested in telehealthbased supportive care for nutrition, exercise, screening, and stress management. Older cancer survivors noted the convenience of telehealth, yet expressed feelings of disconnect with supportive care providers and preference for in-person appointments. Conclusions These findings suggest that older cancer survivors are divided in their use and perceptions of telehealth for supportive care. Additional efforts to establish the most appropriate uses and distribution of telehealth-based supportive cancer care for older cancer survivors post-COVID-19 are warranted.