Lessons learned and keys to success: Provider experiences during the implementation of virtual oncology tumor boards in the era of COVID-19

Abstract

Background and objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic required rapid adaptation of multidisciplinary tumor board conferences to a virtual setting; however, there are little data describing the benefits and challenges of using such a platform.

Methods: An anonymous quality improvement survey was sent to participants of tumor board meetings at a large academic institution. Participants answered questions pertaining to the relative strengths and weaknesses of in-person and virtual settings.

Results: A total of 335 responses (23.3% response rate) were recorded, and 253 met inclusion criteria. Respondents represented 25 different tumor board meetings, with colorectal, breast, and liver (18.6%, 17.0%, and 13.0%, respectively) being the most commonly attended. Virtual tumor boards were equivalent to in-person across 9 of 10 domains queried, while a virtual format was preferred for participation in off-site tumor boards. The lack of networking opportunities was ranked by physicians to be a significant challenge of the virtual format. Consistent leadership and organization, engaged participation of all attendees, and upgrading technology infrastructure were considered critical for success of virtual meetings.

Conclusions: The implementation of virtual tumor board meetings has been associated with numerous challenges. However, improving several key aspects can improve participant satisfaction and ensure excellent patient care.

Keywords: COVID-19; MDT; multidisciplinary team; tumor board; virtual.

Figure 1

Responses to the question “Compared to in‐person Tumor Board, please rate virtual Tumor Boards on a scale of −10 to +10 (−10 indicates that in‐person is better and+10 indicates than virtual Tumor Board is better).” Responses by Training Status (in training vs. completed training)

Figure 2

Responses to the prompt, “On a scale of 0–10 where 0 represents no problem and 10 is a very significant problem, please score the biggest problems with virtual Tumor Board.” (A) Responses by Training Status (in training vs. completed training). (B) Responses by Role

Figure 3

Responses to the question, “How much would the following changes improve virtual Tumor Board? 0 = would not improve it at all; 10 = would greatly improve it”. Responses by Role

Figure 4

Responses to the statement, “Despite modifications, virtual tumor boards just aren't as good as in‐person tumor boards.”