Telehealth video visits during the COVID-19 pandemic –a glimpse into the future?

Overall, both patients and physicians were satisfied with telemedicine video visits. One major concern for physicians was the importance of physical examination of hematology and oncology patients – including examination of liver, spleen, breasts, lymph nodes and palpation of tumors. Myriad modern tools are currently being developed to address this concern – and this list encompasses smart devices such as AppleHealth/GoogleFit, Withings Smart Devices, Tytocare Remote Exam Kit, and Hexoskin. This study published in JCO Oncology Practice in 2022, underscores the opportunities for further developing telemedicine to provide effective medical care to cancer patients that are elderly and from lower income households in the future. According to Chang, “The current health crisis will accelerate the needed improvements in patients’ access to care in vulnerable populations, such as those with cancer, the elderly , and patients with lower economic income. Implementation of more accessible telehealth visits may also decrease the health disparities observed between rural and urban communities and facilitate the care of patients who have transportation restrictions or who need specialized medical assessments. We believe that the COVID-19 pandemic is presenting us with a unique opportunity to expand the use of telemedicine as a critical part of state-of-the-art medical care.”