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Observational Study
. 2022 Jul;18(7):e1141-e1153.
doi: 10.1200/OP.21.00750. Epub 2022 Apr 21.

Factors Influencing Telemedicine Use at a Northern New England Cancer Center During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Matthew B Mackwood  1   2   3 , Tor D Tosteson  1   2   4   5 , Jennifer A Alford-Teaster  5 , Kevin M Curtis  3   6 , Mary L Lowry  3 , Jennifer A Snide  5   7 , Wenyan Zhao  4 , Anna N A Tosteson  1   2   5   8
Affiliations
Observational Study

Factors Influencing Telemedicine Use at a Northern New England Cancer Center During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Matthew B Mackwood et al. JCO Oncol Pract. 2022 Jul.

Abstract

Purpose: To characterize the use of telemedicine for oncology care over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic in Northern New England with a focus on factors affecting trends.

Methods: We performed a retrospective observational study using patient visit data from electronic health records from hematology-oncology and radiation-oncology service lines spanning the local onset of the pandemic from March 18, 2020, through March 31, 2021. This period was subdivided into four phases designated as lockdown, transition, stabilization, and second wave. Generalized linear mixed regression models were used to estimate the effects of patient characteristics on trends for rates of telemedicine use across phases and the effects of visit type on patient satisfaction and postvisit ER or hospital admissions within 2 weeks.

Results: A total of 19,280 patients with 102,349 visits (13.1% audio-only and 1.4% video) were studied. Patient age (increased use in age < 45 and 85 years and older) and urban residence were associated with higher use of telemedicine, especially after initial lockdown. Recent cancer therapy, ER use, and hospital admissions in the past year were all associated with lower telemedicine utilization across pandemic phases. Provider clinical department corresponded to the largest differences in telemedicine use across all phases. ER and hospital admission rates in the 2 weeks after a telehealth visit were lower than those in in-person visits (0.7% v 1.3% and 1.2% v 2.7% for ER and hospital use, respectively; P < .001). Patient satisfaction did not vary across visit types.

Conclusion: Telemedicine use in oncology during the COVID-19 pandemic varied according to the phase and patient, medical, and health system factors, suggesting opportunities for standardization of care and need for attention to equitable telemedicine access.

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Conflict of interest statement

The following represents disclosure information provided by authors of this manuscript. All relationships are considered compensated unless otherwise noted. Relationships are self-held unless noted. I = Immediate Family Member, Inst = My Institution. Relationships may not relate to the subject matter of this manuscript. For more information about ASCO's conflict of interest policy, please refer to www.asco.org/rwc or ascopubs.org/op/authors/author-center.

Open Payments is a public database containing information reported by companies about payments made to US-licensed physicians (Open Payments).

No potential conflicts of interest were reported.

Figures

FIG 1.
FIG 1.
Weekly trends in the percentage of visit types according to the pandemic phase: (A) lockdown, (B) transition, (C) stabilization, and (D) second wave.
FIG 2.
FIG 2.
Factors affecting weekly trends in the percentage of telehealth visits according to pandemic phase: (I) lockdown, (II) transition, (III) stabilization, and (IV) second wave.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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