Elsevier

Advances in Radiation Oncology

Volume 6, Issue 1, January–February 2021, 100611
Advances in Radiation Oncology

Scientific Article
A National Survey of Radiation Oncology Experiences Completing Tele-Consultations During the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adro.2020.10.024Get rights and content
Under a Creative Commons license
open access

Abstract

Purpose

The emergence of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) global pandemic has led to a significant shift in the delivery of health care, including an explosive growth of telemedicine services. This reverberated in the field of radiation oncology, with a recent American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) nationwide survey reporting 89% of surveyed clinics began to offer telemedicine programs to patients because of the pandemic. However, this survey did not study the perceptions and experiences of those clinicians delivering telemedicine services.

Methods and Materials

We investigated through a national physician survey the merits and limitations of radiation oncology tele-consultations. An anonymous web-based survey was distributed using SurveyMonkey (www.surveymonkey.com) via email.

Results

Seventy six respondents (16.1% overall response rate) completed the survey, with broad representation from both academic and community-based practices. Many respondents agreed that transitioning to tele-consultations was a needed step given the emergence of the pandemic, despite most having never previously offered this service. Despite many radiation oncologists having little prior experience with tele-consultations, a majority were satisfied in being able to explain the details of a medical diagnosis, provide results of imaging and bloodwork, and discuss recommendations around radiation treatments through this format. Nearly half of the respondents agreed that tele-consultations felt impersonal, with the inability to complete physical examinations noted as a contributor to the impersonality. Nevertheless, respondents still agreed that telemedicine will play an important role going forward, and almost 90% agreed that they would offer tele-consultations even after the pandemic has resolved.

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Funding: None.

Data sharing statement: Research data is incorporated into this manuscript and can be used, if appropriately refering our publication.

Disclosures: The authors have no conflicts to disclose.