Implications of Telemedicine in Oncology during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Keywords:
COVID-19, Telemedicine, Tele-oncology, CancerAbstract
COVID-19 has had a catastrophic effect on healthcare systems compromising the treatment of cancer patients. It has an increased disease burden in the cancer population. As a result, tele-oncology services have become essential to reduce the risk of cancer patients being exposed to the deadly pathogen. Many governmental establishments have endorsed the use of tele-oncology during COVID-19 era. However, telemedicine in oncology still has certain drawbacks that can be improved upon. Nevertheless, tele-oncology has shown great promise to support cancer care not only during this pandemic but also become a part of normal care in the future.
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2. Olver I. 4.6. Telemedicine in Oncology. Telemedicine and Teledermatology. 2002;32:121-126.
3. Flodgren G, Rachas A, Farmer A, Inzitari M, Shepperd S. Interactive telemedicine: effects on professional practice and health care outcomes. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2015.
4. Zhu N, Zhang D, Wang W, Li X, Yang B, Song J, et al. China Novel Coronavirus Investigating and Research Team. A Novel Coronavirus from Patients with Pneumonia in China, 2019. N Engl J Med. 2020; 382:727–33.
5. Liang W, Guan W, Chen R, et al. Cancer patients in SARS-CoV-2 infection: A Nationwide Analysis in China. Lancet Oncol. 2020;21(3):335-337.
6. Onder G, Rezza G, Brusaferro S. Case-Fatality Rate and Characteristics of Patients Dying in Relation to COVID-19 in Italy. JAMA - J Am Med Assoc. 2020;2019:2019–20.
7. Cortiula F, Pettke A, Bartoletti M, Puglisi F, Helleday T. Managing COVID-19 in the oncology clinic and avoiding the distraction effect. Ann Oncol 2020. 2020;31(5):553-555.
8. National Health Service England. Clinical guide for the management of noncoronavirus patients requiring acute treatment: cancer. March 23, 2020. https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/03/specialty-guide-acute-treatment-cancer-23-march-2020.p. Accessed May 12, 2020
9. European Society for Medical Oncology, Cancer Patient Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic. 12 May 2020. Available: https://www.esmo.org/guidelines/cancer-patient-management-during-the-covid-19-pandemic. Accessed May 12, 2020
10. Brunetti O, Derakhshani A, Baradaran B, Galvano A, Russo A, Silvestris N. COVID-19 Infection in Cancer Patients: How Can Oncologists Deal With These Patients? Front Oncol. 2020;10(April):1–3.
11. Al-Shamsi HO, Alhazzani W, Alhuraiji A, Coomes EA, Chemaly RF, Almuhanna M, et al. A Practical Approach to the Management of Cancer Patients During the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic: An International Collaborative Group. Oncologist. 2020;2019:1–10.
12. World Health organization. Coronavirus disease (2019-COVID-19) technical guidance: Patient management. Available at https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/technical-guidance/patient-management . Accessed May 12, 2020
13. Nelson R. Disruptions in Cancer Care in the Era of COVID-19. Available: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/927215 (accessed March 22,2020)
14. Elkaddoum R, Haddad F, Eid R, Kourie H. Telemedicine for cancer patients during COVID-19 pandemic: between threats and opportunities. Future Oncology. 2020.
15. Sabesan S, Simcox K, Marr I. Medical oncology clinics through videoconferencing: an acceptable telehealth model for rural patients and health workers. Internal Medicine Journal. 2012;42(7):780-785.
16. Hazin R, Qaddoumi I. Teleoncology: current and future applications for improving cancer care globally. The Lancet Oncology. 2010;11(2):204-210.
17. Lewis G, Hatch S, Wiederhold L, Swanson T. Long-term Institutional Experience with Telemedicine Services for Radiation Oncology: A Potential Model for Long-term Utilization. Advances in Radiation Oncology. 2020.
18. Kermani F, Orooji A, Sheikhtaheri A. Teleoncology for children with cancer: A scoping review on applications and outcomes. International Journal of Medical Informatics. 2020;139:104-118.
19. Portnoy J, Waller M, Elliott T. Telemedicine in the Era of COVID-19. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. 2020;8(5):1489-1491.
20. Mehta A, Smith T. Palliative Care for Patients with Cancer in the COVID-19 Era. JAMA Oncology. 2020;
21. Sirintrapun SJ, Lopez AM. Telemedicine in cancer care. Am Soc Clin Oncol Educ Book 2018; 38:540–545
22. Triantafillou V, Rajasekaran K. A Commentary on the Challenges of Telemedicine for Head and Neck Oncologic Patients during COVID-19. Otolaryngol neck Surg Off J Am Acad Otolaryngol Neck Surg. 2020;194599820923622.
23. C. Kitamura HBSc,* L. Zurawel–Balaura HBSc,* and R.K.S. Wong MSc* MBChB How effective is video consultation in clinical oncology? A systematic review
24. Gray J, Brain K, Iredale R, Alderman J, France E, Hughes H. A pilot study of telegenetics. J Telemed Telecare 2000;6:245–7.
25. Hong YR, Lawrence J, Williams D Jr, Mainous III A. Population-Level Interest and Telehealth Capacity of US Hospitals in Response to COVID-19: Cross-Sectional Analysis of Google Search and National Hospital Survey Data. JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2020;6(2):e18961.
26. Raffenaud, Amanda et al. ‘Utilizing Telemedicine in Oncology Settings: Patient Favourability Rates and Perceptions of Use Analysis Using Chi-Square and Neural Networks’. 2019:115 – 127.
27. Alhalabi O, Subbiah V. Managing Cancer Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond. Trends in Cancer. 2020.
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Published
07-09-2020
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How to Cite
1.
Shirke MM, Shaikh SA, Harky A. Implications of Telemedicine in Oncology during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Acta Biomed [Internet]. 2020 Sep. 7 [cited 2024 Jul. 17];91(3):e2020022. Available from: https://mattioli1885journals.com/index.php/actabiomedica/article/view/9849
