Assessing oncology patient and provider telehealth experience.

Authors

null

Kelly Eng

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA

Kelly Eng, Caitlin C. Donohue, Andrew J. Wagner, David W. Dougherty, Elahi Salehi, Carol Lowenstein, Daniel A. Gundersen, Ruth Lederman, Sarah Kadish

Organizations

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, Dan, Rochester, NY, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boson, MA

Research Funding

No funding received
None

Background: Due to COVID-19, telehealth volume at our comprehensive cancer center rose from less than 5% of exam visits to over 25% in April 2020. We sought to understand the experience of telehealth and compare it to in-person experiences for patients and providers (physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants) to identify areas for improvement. Methods: A multidisciplinary team adapted our existing patient satisfaction survey to incorporate telehealth, defined as phone and video exam visits. A technology section was created to assess aspects unique to telehealth. Questions about the patient-provider experience were the same for telehealth and in-person visits. A provider experience survey was conducted during a two-week period in May and June 2020. The provider survey aligned questions with the patient survey to compare the perceptions of the provider-patient interaction. Results: Patient experience scores for in-person and telehealth visits were comparable, with a slightly higher mean score for in-person visits. The mean scores for patient perception of care given at our cancer center was 97.5 (n=11,969) and 96.9 (n=4670) and the likelihood to recommend was 97.8 (n=12,072) and 97.4 (n=4,398) for in-person and telehealth, respectively, between June and December 2020. Patient feedback prioritized addressing technical barriers. We implemented several interventions and increased the telehealth technology section mean scores from 93.2 (n=1,095) to 95.2 (n=700) between June and December 2020. When comparing the percent of respondents scoring good or very good, provider scores showed sizable gaps between in-person and telehealth experiences on all questions (see table). The question “degree to which the care team was well coordinated” had the largest difference between in-person and telehealth scores for both patients and providers. Several interventions to adapt staffing and workflows have been implemented to improve care telehealth coordination. Conclusions: While patients reported similar satisfaction between in-person and telehealth visits, increasing coordination remains vital to improving the experience for both patients and providers. Furthermore, understanding the gap in the provider experience between in-person and telehealth is critical for successful adoption of telehealth as a long-term strategy for healthcare delivery.

Question
% Responded Good or Very Good (n)
In-person Providers
In-person Patients
Telehealth Providers
Telehealth Patients
Overall quality of care received from provider
97.9

(228)
99.4

(639)
91.0

(221)
98.9

(543)
Degree care was well coordinated among care team
93.1

(216)
98.0

(529)
81.1

(198)
96.4

(404)
Provider ability to show concern for question/worries
95.7

(223)
98.9

(633)
90.5

(219)
98.6

(550)
Provider ability to keep patient informed
96.1

(223)
98.4

(634)
92.4

(220)
97.8

(539)
Amount of time provider spent with patient
93.2

(215)
98.9

(634)
88.0

(213)
98.4

(550)

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Abstract Details

Meeting

2021 ASCO Quality Care Symposium

Session Type

Poster Session

Session Title

Poster Session B: Patient Experience; Quality, Safety, and Implementation Science; Technology and Innovation in Quality of Care

Track

Technology and Innovation in Quality of Care,Patient Experience,Quality, Safety, and Implementation Science,Cost, Value, and Policy,Health Care Access, Equity, and Disparities

Sub Track

Impact of Telemedicine

Citation

J Clin Oncol 39, 2021 (suppl 28; abstr 284)

DOI

10.1200/JCO.2020.39.28_suppl.284

Abstract #

284

Poster Bd #

E3

Abstract Disclosures

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