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Practising oncology via telemedicine
1Kansas Telemedicine Project, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City 66160, USA. gdoolitt@kumc.edu
Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare
|January 1, 1997
Summary
Telemedicine, or telehealth, offers valuable support in clinical oncology for patient care, education, and expert consultations. Despite challenges in technology and practice, it shows promise for improving cancer treatment accessibility and delivery.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Health Informatics
- Telemedicine
Background:
- Telemedicine programs are expanding in the USA, but teleoncology services remain limited, leaving its role in clinical oncology undefined.
- Existing telemedicine applications demonstrate success in direct patient care and supportive cancer care, including pain and nutrition assessments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the current and potential applications of telemedicine in clinical oncology.
- To identify challenges and future directions for teleoncology services.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing telemedicine applications in oncology.
- Discussion of technological and practice-related challenges in teleoncology.
Main Results:
- Telemedicine facilitates direct patient care, supportive care (pain, nutrition), and educational initiatives (tumor conferences, nursing courses).
- It enables local treatment development and offers future potential for accessing national/international experts and cooperative group trials.
- Challenges include technology (video, radiograph review) and practice issues (patient/oncologist preferences, communication).
Conclusions:
- Telemedicine is a valuable tool in clinical oncology practice.
- Further research is needed on efficacy, cost-effectiveness, and optimal organizational structures for teleoncology.