Bridging the gap in psychosocial care in cancer survivorship: A pilot project evaluating psychosocial interventions through telemedicine.

Authors

null

Kaitlin Bomar

St. Francis Cancer Center, Greenville, SC

Kaitlin Bomar , Elizabeth Willingham , Terra Dillard , Chad M Dingman , Crystal Humphries , Stacey Kindall , Patricia D. Hegedus , James D. Bearden , Hal E. Crosswell

Organizations

St. Francis Cancer Center, Greenville, SC, GIFT Counselling, Greenville, SC, Bon Secours St. Francis Cancer Center, Greenville, SC, Gibbs Cancer Center, Spartanburg, SC, Spartanburg Regional Oncology, Wellford, SC, Palmetto Hematology Oncology, Spartanburg, SC

Research Funding

No funding sources reported

Background: Psychosocial distress is a well‐recognized consequence of cancer therapy, but psychosocial care for cancer survivors remains fragmented. Through the use of telemedicine, establishing an integrated, information technology‐based infrastructure between community‐based cancer programs may enhance coordination of survivorship care and increase psychosocial distress screening and intervention. We describe a one year pilot program intended to bridge institutional and geographic gaps in psychosocial intervention for cancer survivors through the use of telemedicine. Methods: There are 17 Commission on Cancer-accredited sites in South Carolina-only 31% of sites routinely conduct distress screening. This SC Cancer Alliance-supported pilot was designed as a quality care improvement project between two community-based cancer programs. The development and execution of the telemedicine project will be described. A survey-based, qualitative assessment of patient satisfaction with psychosocial intervention with between both physical and virtual counselling was performed and scored. Results: All patients seen in survivorship clinics at both institutions received psychosocial distress screening. By the end of the pilot project, 9 cancer survivors from the Spartanburg area were identified as having significant psychosocial distress, participated in counselling and reported on their experiences. Patients were seen either via face-to-face and/or virtual encounters. Counselling sessions performed via telemedicine were well accepted and that there was no difference in patient satisfaction as compared to face-to-face sessions. Anecdotal experiences and comments will be highlighted. Conclusions: Our pilot project demonstrates that psychosocial screening and intervention via telemedicine is feasible and may be effective at reducing psychosocial distress in cancer survivors. Psychosocial intervention via telemedicine may serve as a viable method of providing counselling services to resource poor areas, but significant barriers exist, including reimbursement, institutional variations in screening and care and information technology.

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Abstract Details

Meeting

2016 Cancer Survivorship Symposium

Session Type

Poster Session

Session Title

Poster Session B

Track

Care Coordination and Financial Implications,Communication,Late- and Long-term Effects/Comorbidities,Health Promotion,Psychosocial Issues,Recurrence and Secondary Malignancies

Sub Track

Psychological and Social Well-being

Citation

J Clin Oncol 34, 2016 (suppl 3S; abstr 215)

DOI

10.1200/jco.2016.34.3_suppl.215

Abstract #

215

Poster Bd #

L9

Abstract Disclosures

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