Photo Credit: Yaroslav Olieinikov

The following is a summary of “Telehealth preferences among patients with advanced cancer in the post-COVID-19 vaccine era,” published in March 2024 issue of Pain by Shih et al.

While telehealth might have played a huge role during the pandemic’s peak, only a handful of studies have examined telehealth in palliative care in the post-COVID era.

Researchers conducted a prospective study to examine patient preferences for video vs. in-person visits and factors contributing to preferences in the post-vaccine era.

They gathered data from patients who visited palliative care clinics (April 2021 & March 2022) and asked them about the choice between video or in-person visits for outpatient palliative care, focusing on convenience, cost, wait time, and perceptions of COVID-19 safety during virtual visits. Clinical factors influencing preferences were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression.

The results showed 200 surveyed patients, 67% (95%CI: 60%-74%) favored virtual-video visits during the COVID-19 pandemic, while only 8% preferred in-person visits. After the pandemic, 61% (95% CI: 54%-68%) still preferred virtual-video visits. Patients favored virtual-video for its convenience (88%), cost-effectiveness (91%), and reduced wait time (69%). Multivariable analysis revealed concerns about COVID-19 transmission from healthcare providers (OR: 4.20; 95% CI: 1.24–14.25; P=0.02) and comfort with technology (OR: 4.59; 95% CI: 1.02, 20.60; P=0.047) significantly influenced virtual-video preference. Patients of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity (OR: 0.25; 95% CI: 0.09, 0.71) and those experiencing increased dyspnea (OR: 0.74; 95% CI: 0.59, 0.93) were less inclined towards virtual-video.

Investigators concluded that palliative patients conveyed a strong preference for virtual over in-person visits in outpatient palliative care settings.

Source: jpsmjournal.com/article/S0885-3924(24)00656-0/abstract