Satisfaction with telemedicine presentation at a multidisciplinary tumour meeting among patients with head and neck cancer

Abstract

Patients with head and neck cancer in the western part of Sweden are presented at a multidisciplinary tumour (MDT) meeting held once a week at the regional hospital in Göteberg. During a 13-month study period, 58 patients were presented via telemedicine; 45 of these patients (78%) answered a questionnaire. A face-to-face control group (the FTF group, n=46) comprised patients from district hospitals not using telemedicine. These patients travelled to Göteberg for the MDT meeting; 39 of them (85%) answered the questionnaire. All patients were satisfied with the MDT meeting. Answers to two fo the 10 questionnaire items differed significantly between the groups: the FTF group agreed that 'It felt as if everybody was talking about me, but not to me' more than did the telemedicine group, while the telemedicine group gave higher ratings for the item 'It felt good to have my doctor [the physician from the local hospital] by my side' than did the FTF group. Telemedicine was not experienced as a barrier and the patients expressed their confidence in taking part in these meetings in a familiar environment such as the local district hospital with their local otolaryngologist.

Telemedicine in Otolaryngology: A Systematic Review of Image Quality, Diagnostic Concordance, and Patient and Provider Satisfaction

“…Studies reporting patient satisfaction as a percentage of total patients found 80% to 96% of patients to be satisfied with an asynchronous model and 95% to 100% of patients satisfied with a synchronous model. 17,[26][27][28][29][30]32,34 Notably, of the five studies included that assessed synchronous models based on percent satisfied, three reported 100% satisfaction (aggregate n = 97). 28,30,32 Three studies reported patient satisfaction on numerical scales, one citing an average score of 8/10 with an asynchronous model and the others reporting scores of 5.7/6 and 9.5/10 with synchronous models.…”

A comprehensive approach for evaluating telemedicine-delivered multidisciplinary breast cancer meetings in southern Scotland

“…4 Telemedicine is highly relevant to delivery of cancer services in Scotland in areas remote from teaching centres which have low population densities. 5 A number of studies attest to the feasibility and acceptability of telemedicine-linked MDT meetings in oncology [6][7][8][9] for a variety of cancers, including breast, 10 head and neck, 11 gynaecological, 12,13 lung 10,14 and colorectal cancer. 10 Health professionals are generally supportive of telemedicine [15][16][17] and of tele-oncology.…”

Consultation via telemedicine and access to operative care for patients with head and neck cancer in a Veterans Health Administration population

“…Although no prior studies have evaluated real‐time teleconferencing for treatment planning and preoperative discussion, other components of telemedicine have been utilized in otolaryngology patients. Patients with head and neck cancer have been presented remotely at multidisciplinary tumor boards with high diagnostic accuracy, patient satisfaction, and potential cost savings . Secure text messaging and surveys have enabled support for patients as they undergo treatment for head and neck cancer .…”

“…Telemedicine has been proposed as a mechanism to facilitate treatment of head and neck cancer . To date, telemedicine has been used to remotely present patients with head and neck cancer at multidisciplinary tumor boards and provide guidance via secure text messaging as patients undergo treatment . To our knowledge, no prior studies have evaluated the role of telemedicine in remote presurgical evaluation, workup, and counseling for patients with head and neck cancer.…”