Specialist cancer care through telehealth models

Abstract

Objective: Disparities in outcomes are experienced between people who live in rural and remote areas and those who live in larger cities. This paper explores the ability to deliver specialist cancer care through the use of telehealth models.

Design: Review of telehealth models for cancer care.

Setting, participants and intervention: Cancer patients in rural, remote and Indigenous communities who receive their care through telehealth.

Outcome measures and results: Telehealth models seem to be applicable to all fields of oncology and all health professionals. These models not only facilitate the provision of specialist services closer to home in an acceptable, safe and cost-effective manner, but also help expand the rural scope of practice and enhance service capabilities at rural centres.

Conclusion: New models of telehealth are another avenue to help further decrease the disparity of access and survival outcomes between rural and urban patients. Implementation of these models requires health system wide approach for development key performance indicators and allocation of resources.

Keywords: cancer; rural; telehealth; telemedicine.