Telehealth in cancer care during the COVID-19 pandemic

INTRODUCTION

The Victorian COVID-19 Cancer Network (VCCN) Telehealth Expert Working Group aimed to evaluate the telehealth (TH) experience for cancer patients, carers and clinicians with the rapid uptake of TH in early 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

We conducted a prospective multi-centre cross-sectional survey involving eight Victorian regional and metropolitan cancer services and three consumer advocacy groups. Patients or their carers and clinicians who had TH consultations between 1 July 2020 and 31 December 2020 were invited to participate in patient and clinician surveys, respectively. These surveys were opened from September to December 2020.

RESULTS

The acceptability of TH via both video (82.9%) and phone (70.4%) were high though acceptability appeared to decrease in older phone TH users. Video was associated with higher satisfaction compared to phone (87.1% vs 79.7%) even though phone was more commonly used. Various themes from the qualitative surveys highlighted barriers and enablers to rapid TH implementation.

DISCUSSION

The high TH acceptability supports this as a safe and effective strategy for continued care and should persist beyond the pandemic environment, where patient preferences are considered and clinically appropriate. Ongoing support to health services for infrastructure and resources, as well as expansion of reimbursement eligibility criteria for patients and health professionals, including allied health and nursing, are crucial for sustainability.

Oesophageal cancer treatment patterns, timeliness of care and outcomes in the Loddon Mallee region of Victoria: A retrospective cohort study

INTRODUCTION

Few studies have investigated oesophageal cancer care in regional areas. This study aimed to describe treatment patterns for oesophageal cancer in a regional area, and to identify factors associated with radiotherapy utilisation, timeliness of care, and death.

METHODS

In a retrospective cohort study, medical records were reviewed to source data on all patients diagnosed with and/or treated for oesophageal cancer at two regional Victorian hospitals over July 2015-June 2018. Cox proportional hazards regression was employed to identify factors associated with time from diagnosis to death while binary logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with radiotherapy utilisation and treatment within 28 days of diagnosis - a time frame derived from the relevant optimal care pathway.

RESULTS

Of 95 patients, 72% had radiotherapy, 32% received any treatment within 28 days, and 78% died over a median time of nine months. Odds of not receiving radiotherapy were decreased (odds ratio [OR] = 0.26, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.08-0.87) for histology other than adenocarcinoma. Odds of timely care were increased for any palliative radiotherapy (OR = 3.47, 95% CI = 1.15-10.5) and decreased for older age (OR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.91.0.999). Hazard of death was elevated for stage IV disease (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.73, 95% CI = 1.64-4.54) and reduced for radical intent (HR = 0.27, 95% CI = 0.15-0.48).

CONCLUSION

Nearly three-quarters of regional oesophageal cancer patients had radiotherapy while approximately one-third received any treatment within the recommended 28 days. Any palliative radiotherapy and younger age were associated with timely treatment. Future studies could further investigate factors related to timely oesophageal cancer care.

Telehealth in cancer care: during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID‐19 pandemic has precipitated the rapid uptake of telehealth in cancer care and in other fields. Many of the changes made in routine clinical practice could be embedded beyond the duration of the pandemic. This is intended as a practical guide to cancer clinicians and others in establishing and improving the quality of consultations performed by telehealth.

Timeliness of cancer care in a regional Victorian health service: A comparison of high-volume (Lung) and low-volume (oesophagogastric) tumour streams

Background

Timeliness of cancer care is vital for improved survival and quality of life of patients. Service and care centralisation at larger‐volume centres has been associated with improved outcomes. However, there is a lack of systematic data on the impact of tumour stream volume on timeliness of care.

Aims

To investigate and compare timeliness of care for lung cancer, a high‐volume (more commonly diagnosed) tumour stream, and oesophagogastric (OG) cancer, a low‐volume (less commonly diagnosed) tumour stream, at a regional health service in Victoria, Australia.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study comprising random samples of 75 people newly diagnosed with lung cancer (International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems‐10 [ICD‐10] diagnosis codes C34 in the Victorian Cancer Registry [VCR]) and 50 people newly diagnosed with OG cancer (ICD‐10 diagnosis codes C15 or C16 in VCR) at one regional Victorian health service between 2016 and 2017. Binary logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations between patient factors and suboptimal timeliness of care.

Results

In comparison to OG cancer patients, lung cancer patients had reduced odds of suboptimal timeliness of care in reference to times outside OCP for referral to diagnosis (OR [95% CI] = 0.34 [0.14 to 0.83]) but increased odds of suboptimal timeliness for diagnosis to treatment (OR [95% CI] = 2.48 [1.01 to 6.09]).

Conclusion

In the low‐volume OG cancer stream, patients had longer wait times from referral to an MDM, where treatment decisions occur, but shorter time to commencement of first treatment. Conversely in the high‐volume lung cancer group, there was delayed initiation of first treatment following presentation at MDM. There is need to explore ways to fast‐track MDM presentation and commencement of therapy among people diagnosed with low‐volume and high‐volume cancers, respectively.

Framework for Improving Governance and Quality of Rural Oncology Outreach Services

PURPOSE

Rural outreach is a common method for delivering oncology services closer to rural residents; however, there is no clear service framework for supporting its quality and governance. This work aimed to develop an agreed framework for improving the governance and quality of a rural oncology outreach service.

METHODS

A Six Sigma and participatory action approach was used. Key clinicians and managers identified project goals and scope, participated in several rounds of interviews and medical record audits, and discussed findings to reach consensus about a framework for quality outreach service delivery from one regional cancer center supporting two rural hospital sites (5-chair nurse-led oncology units).

RESULTS

Themes included strong investment by stakeholders in maintaining the outreach service for its importance for rural populations. The referral, treatment, and clinical governance processes were implicitly understood between stakeholders but not well documented. Medical record audits of treated patients identified important gaps in clinical information at rural sites. Through reflection and discussion, consensus was reached about a framework for quality service delivery. The participatory action planning cycle involving sites in regular discussions fostered information sharing, strong engagement, and uptake of the final framework.

CONCLUSION

The framework was applied to a memorandum of understanding for planning, governance, and outcomes monitoring and provides a basis for developing new and benchmarking existing oncology outreach services.