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Oncophone20 study: Patients’ perception of telemedicine in the COVID‐19 pandemic during follow‐up visits for gynecological and breast cancers
Author(s) -
Picardo Elisa,
Baù Maria G.,
Anatrone Caterina,
Mondino Aurelia,
Surace Alessandra,
Gallo Federica,
Danese Saverio,
Mitidieri Marco
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1002/ijgo.13825
Subject(s) - medicine , telemedicine , feeling , breast cancer , pandemic , covid-19 , perception , family medicine , health care , gynecology , cancer , social psychology , disease , neuroscience , infectious disease (medical specialty) , economics , economic growth , biology , psychology
Objective To analyze oncological patients’ perception of telemedicine during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Methods A total of 345 women, of whom 267 experienced breast cancer and 78 experienced a gynecological cancer, were enrolled. Specific questionnaires about their experiences and feelings about telemedicine in the COVID‐19 era were collected. Results In the breast group, “enhanced care” showed moderate positive perception (mean 4.40) among less‐educated women that was slightly lower among better‐educated women (mean 4.14) with a significant difference ( P = 0.034). “satisfaction” had an opposite pattern: a mean of 3.99 for a lower level of education and 4.78 for a higher level of education, with a strong significant difference ( P < 0.001). “privacy and discomfort” approached neutrality for less‐educated women, while for higher‐educated women the lower mean of 2.93 indicted a more positive perception ( P = 0.007). In the pelvic group, younger women had a better perception towards telemedicine for “telemedicine as a substitution” (mean 3.68) compared to older women (mean 3.05). The privacy and discomfort subscale was in favor of better‐educated women (mean 2.57) compared to less‐educated women (mean 3.28; P = 0.042). Conclusion Telemedicine was generally well accepted, not only among younger and higher‐educated women but also by women needing intensive care, in both cancer groups.