Delivery of Virtual Care in Oncology: Province-Wide Interprofessional Consensus Statements Using a Modified Delphi Process

Current Oncology

Bryan B. Franco¹  Nicholas Meti²  Houman Tahmasebi²  Alia Thawer³  Andrew Loblaw⁴  Frances C. Wright⁵  Simron Singh⁶  Matthew C. Cheung⁶  Vivian Sim⁶  Adithya Shankar⁶  Colleen Fox⁷  Naomi Peek⁷ 

[1] Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G3, Canada;Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3H2, Canada;Department of Pharmacy, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada;Department of Radiation Oncology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada;Department of Surgery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada;Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Department of Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada;Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario), Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada;

关键词: consensus;    virtual care;    teleoncology;    telemedicine;   

DOI  :  10.3390/curroncol28060445

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Virtual cancer care (i.e., teleoncology) was rapidly adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic to meet the needs of patients with cancer. However, there is a paucity of guidance for clinicians regarding virtual cancer care. We sought to develop consensus-based statements to guide the optimal provision of virtual care for clinicians caring for patients with cancer, using a modified Delphi consensus process with a 29-member panel consisting of an interprofessional group of clinicians caring for patients with cancer and patient representatives. The consensus process consisted of two rounds and one synchronous final consensus meeting. At the end of the modified Delphi process, 62 of 62 statements achieved consensus. Fifty-seven statements reached consensus in the first round of the process. Concerns regarding the ability to convey difficult news virtually and maintaining similar standards as in-person care without disproportionate strain on clinicians and patients were addressed in the consensus process. We achieved interprofessional consensus on virtual cancer care practices. Further research examining the impact of virtual cancer care on person-centred and clinical outcomes are needed to inform practices during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

【 授权许可】

Unknown