PURPOSE: The COVID-19 outbreak rapidly became a public health emergency and led to radical changes in patient management. From the start of the pandemic, we used electronic medical record-assisted telephone follow-up (E-TFU) of cancer survivors (CS) to minimize hospital exposure. The aim of this prospective study was to assess how breast cancer survivors (bCSs) perceived E-TFU. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 15-item survey was e-mailed to bCSs who had been managed with E-TFU. The responses were measured using Likert-like scales and were correlated with the main characteristics of the bCS using Pearson's test. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-seven of 343 bCSs (40%) completed the survey between March 9 and June 2, 2020. Their median age was 59 years. Although 80.3% of bCSs were satisfied with E-TFU, only 43.8% would like to have E-TFU in the future. A low educational level was correlated with higher COVID-19-related anxiety (P = .025). An older age (P = .002) and a low educational level (P < .0001) were correlated with the need to be accompanied to reach the hospital. A personal history of second cancer was inversely correlated with understanding medical advice (P = .015) and the expectation of feeling relief after a follow-up visit (P = .0027). Furthermore, pandemic phase II was correlated with satisfaction with E-TFU (P = .010). CONCLUSION: E-TFU was an important means of avoiding hospital contacts during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the majority of bCSs in the survey were satisfied with this procedure. Further studies are needed to investigate the implementation of telemedicine even outside an emergency situation.

Electronic Medical Record-Assisted Telephone Follow-Up of Breast Cancer Survivors During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Single Institution Experience / Merz, Valeria; Ferro, Antonella; Piras, Enrico Maria; Zanutto, Alberto; Caffo, Orazio; Messina, Carlo. - In: JCO ONCOLOGY PRACTICE. - ISSN 2688-1535. - 17:1(2021), pp. e44-e52. [10.1200/OP.20.00643]

Electronic Medical Record-Assisted Telephone Follow-Up of Breast Cancer Survivors During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Single Institution Experience

Piras, Enrico Maria;Zanutto, Alberto;
2021-01-01

Abstract

PURPOSE: The COVID-19 outbreak rapidly became a public health emergency and led to radical changes in patient management. From the start of the pandemic, we used electronic medical record-assisted telephone follow-up (E-TFU) of cancer survivors (CS) to minimize hospital exposure. The aim of this prospective study was to assess how breast cancer survivors (bCSs) perceived E-TFU. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 15-item survey was e-mailed to bCSs who had been managed with E-TFU. The responses were measured using Likert-like scales and were correlated with the main characteristics of the bCS using Pearson's test. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-seven of 343 bCSs (40%) completed the survey between March 9 and June 2, 2020. Their median age was 59 years. Although 80.3% of bCSs were satisfied with E-TFU, only 43.8% would like to have E-TFU in the future. A low educational level was correlated with higher COVID-19-related anxiety (P = .025). An older age (P = .002) and a low educational level (P < .0001) were correlated with the need to be accompanied to reach the hospital. A personal history of second cancer was inversely correlated with understanding medical advice (P = .015) and the expectation of feeling relief after a follow-up visit (P = .0027). Furthermore, pandemic phase II was correlated with satisfaction with E-TFU (P = .010). CONCLUSION: E-TFU was an important means of avoiding hospital contacts during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the majority of bCSs in the survey were satisfied with this procedure. Further studies are needed to investigate the implementation of telemedicine even outside an emergency situation.
2021
1
Merz, Valeria; Ferro, Antonella; Piras, Enrico Maria; Zanutto, Alberto; Caffo, Orazio; Messina, Carlo
Electronic Medical Record-Assisted Telephone Follow-Up of Breast Cancer Survivors During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Single Institution Experience / Merz, Valeria; Ferro, Antonella; Piras, Enrico Maria; Zanutto, Alberto; Caffo, Orazio; Messina, Carlo. - In: JCO ONCOLOGY PRACTICE. - ISSN 2688-1535. - 17:1(2021), pp. e44-e52. [10.1200/OP.20.00643]
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