Cancer patients' satisfaction with telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic

• Published in: PloS one 2022-01, Vol.17 (6), p.e0268913
• Main Authors: Samantha R Paige, Gemme Campbell-Salome, Jordan Alpert, Merry Jennifer Markham, Martina Murphy, Eve Heffron, Chris Harle, Sijia Yue, Wei Xue, Carma L Bylund
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268913

ObjectiveTo examine factors associated with cancer patients' satisfaction using telehealth during COVID-19, including video conferencing platforms and secure messaging systems.MethodPatients with cancer participated in a cross-sectional, web-based survey was conducted with patients with cancer. The survey included questions about satisfaction with video-conferencing and secure messaging platforms to interact with clinicians during the COVID-19 pandemic. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine predictors of satisfaction for each telehealth platform.ResultsParticipants generally reported positive satisfaction with each telehealth platform. Both platforms were commonly used to review medical results and discuss symptoms or treatment. Participants identifying as a man were most satisfied with their video-conferencing session, especially if they had a comfortable place to sit. Patients were more satisfied with secure messaging because they could ask a question without scheduling an appointment.DiscussionWhen strategically used together, video-conferencing platforms and secure messaging may increase patient satisfaction in cancer care during the remainder of the pandemic and beyond. Attention must be paid to optimizing factors that promote satisfaction for each telehealth platform.