A university oncology department and a remote palliative care unit linked together by email and videoconferencing

We investigated the feasibility of using email and videoconferencing for clinical and educational support between oncologists at the University Hospital of North Norway and colleagues at the oncology and palliative care unit of the Nordland Hospital in Bodø. During a 12-month period, 23 cases (20 patients) and four general questions were sent by email and 32 videoconferences were planned. Breast and colorectal cancer were the most frequent diagnoses (59%) in the email messages. Most cases (15/23) were treated locally. Although five videoconferences failed due to telecommunication and/or user problems, videoconferencing was still a success in the education of the remote oncologists in Bodø. The study demonstrated that telemedicine can be used to incorporate a remote palliative care unit into a university department.