The role of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic across the interdisciplinary cancer team: Implications for practice

Author(s): Catherine Paterson , PhD, BA, MSc, PgCert LTA, FHEA, RAN ^a ^, ^b ^, ^c ^, ^d ^, ^e ^, ^* , Rachel Bacon , PhD, MSc, BSc, AdvAPD, FHEA ^a ^, ^b , Rebecca Dwyer , B App. Sc. Rad Therapy, GradCert ^b ^, ^g , Kittani S. Morrison , BExPhysRehab, AEP ^a ^, ^b , Kellie Toohey , PhD, MCEP, BSc, PG Cert Research, PG Cert Tertiary Ed, AEP ^a ^, ^b , Amy O'Dea , BTh ^a ^, ^c , James Slade , MNP, GradCertCaNurs, BNurs ^a ^, ^b ^, ^c , Reza Mortazavi , GCLTHE, DCLSc ^a ^, ^b , Cara Roberts , BSc ^a ^, ^b ^, ^c , Ganes Pranavan , MBBS,FRACP ^a ^, ^b ^, ^h ^, ⁱ , Corrina Cooney , BA, PG Cert, MSc, RN ^b ^, ^g , Irmina Nahon , PhD, MPhys, PGCert (PF rehab), BApp Sc(Physio) ^a ^, ^b , Sandi Hayes , PhD ^b ^, ^f

Publication date (Electronic): 15 October 2020

Journal: Seminars in Oncology Nursing

Publisher: Elsevier Inc.

Keywords: Cancer care, telehealth, COVID-19, interdisciplinary, nursing, disaster management, coronavirus

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Abstract

Objective

This literature review aims to explore the role of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic across the interdisciplinary cancer care team.

Data Sources

Electronic databases including CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, Scopus, and grey literature were searched using Google Scholar up until September 2020.

Conclusion

While the safe and effective delivery of cancer care via telehealth requires education and training for healthcare professionals and patients, telehealth has provided a timely solution to the barriers caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on the delivery of interdisciplinary cancer services. Globally, evidence has shown that telehealth in cancer care can leverage an innovative response during the COVID-19 pandemic but may provide a long-lasting solution to enable patients to be treated appropriately in their home environment. Telehealth reduces the travel burden on patients for consultation, affords a timely solution to discuss distressing side effects, initiate interventions, and enable possible treatment additions and/or changes.

Implications for Nursing Practice

Global public health disasters pose significant and unique challenges to the provision of necessary services for people affected by cancer. Oncology nurses can provide a central contribution in the delivery of telehealth through transformational leadership across all domains and settings in cancer care. Oncology nurses provide the “hub of cancer care” safely embedded in the interdisciplinary team. Telehealth provides a solution to the current global health crisis but could also benefit the future provision of services and broad reach clinical trials.

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Most cited references 72

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Case-Fatality Rate and Characteristics of Patients Dying in Relation to COVID-19 in Italy

Graziano Onder, Giovanni Rezza, Silvio Brusaferro (2020)

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Mental Health and the Covid-19 Pandemic

Betty Pfefferbaum, Carol North (2020)

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Clinical characteristics of COVID-19-infected cancer patients: a retrospective case study in three hospitals within Wuhan, China

L. Zhang, F. Zhu, L. Xie … (2020)

Background Cancer patients are regarded as a highly vulnerable group in the current Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. To date, the clinical characteristics of COVID-19-infected cancer patients remain largely unknown. Patients and methods In this retrospective cohort study, we included cancer patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 from three designated hospitals in Wuhan, China. Clinical data were collected from medical records from 13 January 2020 to 26 February 2020. Univariate and multivariate analyses were carried out to assess the risk factors associated with severe events defined as a condition requiring admission to an intensive care unit, the use of mechanical ventilation, or death. Results A total of 28 COVID-19-infected cancer patients were included; 17 (60.7%) patients were male. Median (interquartile range) age was 65.0 (56.0–70.0) years. Lung cancer was the most frequent cancer type (n = 7; 25.0%). Eight (28.6%) patients were suspected to have hospital-associated transmission. The following clinical features were shown in our cohort: fever (n = 23, 82.1%), dry cough (n = 22, 81%), and dyspnoea (n = 14, 50.0%), along with lymphopaenia (n = 23, 82.1%), high level of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (n = 23, 82.1%), anaemia (n = 21, 75.0%), and hypoproteinaemia (n = 25, 89.3%). The common chest computed tomography (CT) findings were ground-glass opacity (n = 21, 75.0%) and patchy consolidation (n = 13, 46.3%). A total of 15 (53.6%) patients had severe events and the mortality rate was 28.6%. If the last antitumour treatment was within 14 days, it significantly increased the risk of developing severe events [hazard ratio (HR) = 4.079, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.086–15.322, P = 0.037]. Furthermore, patchy consolidation on CT on admission was associated with a higher risk of developing severe events (HR = 5.438, 95% CI 1.498–19.748, P = 0.010). Conclusions Cancer patients show deteriorating conditions and poor outcomes from the COVID-19 infection. It is recommended that cancer patients receiving antitumour treatments should have vigorous screening for COVID-19 infection and should avoid treatments causing immunosuppression or have their dosages decreased in case of COVID-19 coinfection.

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Semin Oncol Nurs

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Semin Oncol Nurs

Title: Seminars in Oncology Nursing

Publisher: Elsevier Inc.

ISSN (Print): 0749-2081

ISSN (Electronic): 1878-3449

Publication date PMC-release: 15 October 2020

Publication date (Electronic): 15 October 2020

Electronic Location Identifier: 151090

Affiliations

[a ]Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Bruce ACT, Australia

[b ]Prehabilitation, Activity, Cancer, Exercise and Survivorship (PACES) Research Group, University of Canberra, Bruce ACT, Australia

[c ]School of Nursing, Midwifery and Public Health, University of Canberra, Bruce ACT, Australia

[d ]Canberra Health Services & ACT Health, SYNERGY Nursing & Midwifery Research Centre, ACT Health Directorate Level 3, Building 6, Canberra Hospital, Australia

[e ]Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK

[f ]Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University

[g ]ICON Cancer Centre, Canberra, Australia

[h ]Department of medical oncology, The Canberra Hospital, ACT, Australia

[i ]Australian National University, Canberra, Australia

Author notes

[* ]Corresponding Author: Catherine Paterson, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Bruce ACT, Australia.

Article

Publisher Item ID: S0749-2081(20)30105-4 Publisher ID: 151090

DOI: 10.1016/j.soncn.2020.151090

PMC ID: 7561334

PubMed ID: 33218886

SO-VID: 16838d09-ac5c-46e1-b1d3-2e4feb458607

License:

Since January 2020 Elsevier has created a COVID-19 resource centre with free information in English and Mandarin on the novel coronavirus COVID-19. The COVID-19 resource centre is hosted on Elsevier Connect, the company's public news and information website. Elsevier hereby grants permission to make all its COVID-19-related research that is available on the COVID-19 resource centre - including this research content - immediately available in PubMed Central and other publicly funded repositories, such as the WHO COVID database with rights for unrestricted research re-use and analyses in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for free by Elsevier for as long as the COVID-19 resource centre remains active.

The role of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic across the interdisciplinary cancer team: Implications for practice

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Abstract

Objective

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Conclusion

Implications for Nursing Practice

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Novel Coronavirus Disease COVID-19

Most cited references 72

Case-Fatality Rate and Characteristics of Patients Dying in Relation to COVID-19 in Italy

Mental Health and the Covid-19 Pandemic

Clinical characteristics of COVID-19-infected cancer patients: a retrospective case study in three hospitals within Wuhan, China

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