PeaceHealth St. Joseph Cancer Center, Bellingham, WA
Kelli Kristine Cole-Vadjic , Jennie Robertson Crews
Background: PeaceHealth St Joseph Cancer Center (PHSJCC) provides medical and radiation oncology services in northwest Washington. PeaceIsland Medical Center (PIMC) is an affiliated medical center that provides medical oncology services in the nearby San Juan islands. Survivorship appointments for Survivorship Care Plan (SCP) delivery are available at PHSJCC but have not been available at PIMC. Telemedicine services were previously established for medical oncology appointments for patients at PIMC with a provider at PHSJCC. Methods: Since January of 2015, patients who are eligible for survivorship services are identified by their medical oncologist or nurse upon completion of chemotherapy at PIMC. They are scheduled for a 1 hour survivorship telemedicine appointment with the survivorship physician assistant (PA). The patients attend the appointment at PIMC with a nurse present there to assist with logistics and deliver survivorship appointment materials. The PA is at PHSJCC and conducts the appointment through visual and audio telemedicine equipment. During the telemedicine appointment the SCP is reviewed and delivered, educational materials are provided and discussed, and referrals are initiated as needed based on a standardized patient distress screening questionnaire. Patients who complete radiation therapy at PHSJCC but live in the San Juan islands are now also being identified and scheduled for survivorship telemedicine appointments at PIMC. Results: Patients who live in a small island community where survivorship services were not available are now able to receive a survivorship appointment with SCP delivery through telemedicine. Between January and July of 2015, 6 patients were identified for survivorship appointment eligibility upon completion of chemotherapy at PIMC. 3 of these patients have completed a survivorship telemedicine appointment, 2 are currently scheduled, and 1 declined to schedule. Although qualitative surveys have not yet been conducted, the patients who completed survivorship telemedicine appointments offered generally positive feedback about the experience. Conclusions: Telemedicine is an effective way to deliver SCPs in geographic areas where patients do not otherwise have access to survivorship care.
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