Implementation and Outcomes of Virtual Care Across a Tertiary Cancer Center During COVID-19.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has burdened health care resources and disrupted care of patients with cancer. Virtual care (VC) represents a potential solution. However, few quantitative data support its rapid implementation and positive associations with service capacity and quality.

Objective

To examine the outcomes of a cancer center-wide virtual care program in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design, setting, and participants

This cohort study applied a hospitalwide agile service design to map gaps and develop a customized digital solution to enable at-scale VC across a publicly funded comprehensive cancer center. Data were collected from a high-volume cancer center in Ontario, Canada, from March 23 to May 22, 2020.

Main outcomes and measures

Outcome measures were care delivery volumes, quality of care, patient and practitioner experiences, and cost savings to patients.

Results

The VC solution was developed and launched 12 days after the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 22?085 VC visits (mean, 514 visits per day) were conducted, comprising 68.4% (range, 18.8%-100%) of daily visits compared with 0.8% before launch (P?Conclusions and relevanceThese findings suggest that implementation of VC at scale at a high-volume cancer center may be feasible. An agile service design approach was able to preserve outpatient caseloads and maintain care quality, while rendering high patient and practitioner satisfaction. These findings may help guide the transformation of telemedicine in the post COVID-19 era.

SUBMITTER: Berlin A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7791400 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature