Perspectives on Virtual Care for Childhood Cancer Survivors in Non-Metropolitan Areas during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Rachel Phelan, Taiwo Opeyemi Aremu, Jeffrey Karst, Lynnette Anderson, Anna Jordan, Jocelyn Morin, Julie Nichols, Ashima Singh, Debra Schmidt, Jennifer A. Hoag, Char Napurski, Haley Zweber, Karim Thomas Sadak

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic paved the way for the widespread use of virtual care for childhood cancer survivors (CCSs). CCSs were virtual recipients of diverse care, including long-term follow-up (LTFU), primary care, mental health care, and several others. Virtual care comes with well-documented benefits and challenges. These are further magnified for CCSs living in rural or non-metropolitan areas. Here, we describe the virtual care of CCSs from two Upper Midwest cities with well-established childhood cancer survivor programs within large comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. CCSs from non-metropolitan areas, especially CCSs with two or more late effects, used virtual care more often during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to CCSs from metropolitan areas. A review of the related literature is also included and the identified challenges in providing virtual care, such as privacy concerns, technology-connectivity constraints, and medical license restrictions. Despite these limitations, the care of CCSs has evolved to leverage virtual care and its ability to increase access for patients and promote continuity of care for CCSs living in rural areas.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)8111-8116
Number of pages6
JournalCurrent Oncology
Volume30
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 by the authors.

Keywords

  • COVID-19 pandemic
  • childhood cancer survivors
  • long-term follow-up
  • rural health
  • telemedicine

PubMed: MeSH publication types

  • Review
  • Journal Article

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