Delivery of Virtual Care in Oncology: Province-Wide Interprofessional Consensus Statements Using a Modified Delphi Process.

Publisher: MDPI Country of Publication: Switzerland NLM ID: 9502503 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1718-7729 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 11980052 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Curr Oncol Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: 2021- : Basel, Switzerland : MDPI
Original Publication: Toronto : Multimed, c1994-

COVID-19* ; Pandemics*; Consensus ; Delphi Technique ; Humans ; SARS-CoV-2

Virtual cancer care (i.e., teleoncology) was rapidly adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic to meet the needs of patients with cancer. However, there is a paucity of guidance for clinicians regarding virtual cancer care. We sought to develop consensus-based statements to guide the optimal provision of virtual care for clinicians caring for patients with cancer, using a modified Delphi consensus process with a 29-member panel consisting of an interprofessional group of clinicians caring for patients with cancer and patient representatives. The consensus process consisted of two rounds and one synchronous final consensus meeting. At the end of the modified Delphi process, 62 of 62 statements achieved consensus. Fifty-seven statements reached consensus in the first round of the process. Concerns regarding the ability to convey difficult news virtually and maintaining similar standards as in-person care without disproportionate strain on clinicians and patients were addressed in the consensus process. We achieved interprofessional consensus on virtual cancer care practices. Further research examining the impact of virtual cancer care on person-centred and clinical outcomes are needed to inform practices during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

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00420398 Canada CIHR

Keywords: consensus; telemedicine; teleoncology; virtual care

Date Created: 20211223 Date Completed: 20211230 Latest Revision: 20240820

20250114

PMC8700064

10.3390/curroncol28060445

34940084