Abstract SS2-08: Patient perception of telehealth services for breast and gynecologic cancer care during the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic in NYC: A single center survey-based study
Authors: Brittney S Zimmerman, Danielle Seidman, Natalie Berger, Krystal P Cascetta, Michelle Nezolosky, Kara Trlica, Alisa Ryncarz, Caitlin Keeton, Erin Moshier, Amy Tiersten
Journal: Cancer Research (2021)

Abstract Background: Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth was rarely utilized in providing oncologic care. At our large NYC based outpatient clinic, telehealth services were quickly adapted for utilization for visits that could be completed outside of the clinic, in order to limit patient exposure to the novel coronavirus. This survey-based study aimed to assess patient perceptions of the utility of telehealth in their oncologic care during a time of national crisis. Methods: A 34-question survey was administered to all patients receiving care at our outpatient center between March 1, 2020 and June 30, 2020 including those who had visits delayed or cancelled during this time period. Of the 622 patients who received the survey via RedCap online or physical copy in clinic, 211 (34%) completed the survey. For evaluation of the Telehealth provided during the pandemic, we have adapted the validated SUTAQ (Service User Technology Acceptability Questionnaire) which assesses patient acceptability of telehealth via measures of accessibility, comfort, usability, privacy and security, confidentiality, satisfaction, convenience and health benefits with in-home telemonitoring. Results: All patients who completed the survey had a history of DCIS/ADH/LCIS, invasive breast cancer or gynecologic malignancy. Of the total survey respondents, 72 (35%) participated in a telehealth visit during the four month evaluation period. For all survey questions, “agreement” was considered if the patient selected mildly, moderately or strongly agreed on the SUTAQ scale. Of patients who participated in telehealth visits, 66 (92%) felt that the telehealth saved them time, 52 (72%) felt it increased their access to care and 56 (81%) felt it helped improve their health. Only 8 (12%) of patients felt that telehealth made them feel uncomfortable and 4 (6%) worried about confidentiality related to telehealth usage. Overall, 65 (92%) of patients were satisfied with the telehealth services they received and 64 (89%) would recommend these services to people with similar health conditions. Twenty-five (35%) felt that telehealth can be a replacement for their normal health care and 67 (93%) reported it could be a good addition to their care. Fifty-four (76%) would be interested in participating in telehealth visits in the future. Conclusions: Overall, patients expressed satisfaction with the use of telehealth services for oncologic care during the COVID pandemic. Although most patients do not feel that this is a suitable replacement for their in person care, they expressed that it was certainly a good addition to their care. A large majority of patients expressed interest in continuing to participate in telehealth visits in the future. Telehealth services should be carefully adapted as a long term addition to the in person clinical care of patients with cancer. These services should be utilized to optimize patient satisfaction, save time and increase access to care, especially among high risk patients. Citation Format: Brittney S Zimmerman, Danielle Seidman, Natalie Berger, Krystal P Cascetta, Michelle Nezolosky, Kara Trlica, Alisa Ryncarz, Caitlin Keeton, Erin Moshier, Amy Tiersten. Patient perception of telehealth services for breast and gynecologic cancer care during the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic in NYC: A single center survey-based study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Virtual Symposium; 2020 Dec 8-11; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(4 Suppl):Abstract nr SS2-08.