Delivering kidney cancer care in rural Central and Southern Illinois: a telemedicine approach

Abstract

There is a growing body of experience and research suggesting that telemedicine (video conferencing, smart phones and online patient portals) could be the solution to addressing gaps in the provision of specialised healthcare in rural areas. The proposed role of telemedicine in providing needed services in hard to reach areas is not new. The United States Telecommunication Act of 1996 provided the initial traction for telemedicine by removing important economic and legal obstacles regarding the use of technology in healthcare delivery. This initial ruling has been supplemented by the availability of federal funding to support efforts aimed at developing telemedicine in underserved areas. In this paper, we explore one aspect of disease disparity pertinent to rural Illinois (kidney cancer incidence and mortality) and describe how we are planning to use an existing telemedicine program at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (SIUSOM) to improve kidney cancer (Kca) care in rural Illinois. This represents an example of the possible role of telemedicine in addressing healthcare disparities in rural areas/communities and provides a description of general challenges and barriers to the implementation and maintenance of such systems.

The Use of Video Conferencing for Persons with Chronic Conditions: A Systematic Review

“…Two articles explained the potential of VC but did not report patient outcomes [ 18 ] [ 19 ]. Four articles were study protocols and did not report data [ 20 ]-[ 23 ], three articles were commentaries or letter’s to the editor [ 24 ] [ 25 ], and four articles measured provider but not patient outcomes [ 26 ]-[ 29 ]. Finally, the Cochrane Library was searched for a review on video conferencing, but no applicable results were found.…”

Impact of telemedicine adoption on accessibility and time to treatment in patients with thoracic malignancies during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Preliminary studies during the pandemic have demonstrated that telemedicine utilization in the context of oncology practice can be rapidly adopted [ 15 ], though patient and provider perspectives on its utility vary [ 16 – 19 ]. Historically, telemedicine in oncology practice has focused on delivery of care to underserved rural areas [ 20 – 22 ], augmentation of global oncology efforts [ 23 , 24 ], provision of palliative care [ 25 ], remote monitoring of symptoms and mental health [ 26 ], and facilitation of multidisciplinary coordination with radiology and pathology teams [ 27 ]. The widespread use of telemedicine during the initial visit with an oncologist is new, and the downstream implications on timeliness and quality of care have not been investigated.…”

Informatics and e-health: advancing knowledge and improving cancer care

“…Alanee et al . () have used the example of renal cancer in rural areas of Illinois to demonstrate how tele‐medicine can address gaps in service provision. The paper emphasises the importance of thinking well beyond the technology itself and designing systems which meet the plethora of patient need and which complement the existing health service environment.…”

“…The readiness of health professionals to embrace these new technologies, coupled with the need for technical training and organisational support have been noted previously (see Schwarz et al 2014), and are again highlighted in two papers in this issue. Alanee et al (2014) have used the example of renal cancer in rural areas of Illinois to demonstrate how tele-medicine can address gaps in service provision. The paper emphasises the importance of thinking well beyond the technology itself and designing systems which meet the plethora of patient need and which complement the existing health service environment.…”