Oral Presentation Clinical Oncology Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting 2017

Telehealth for cancer care: challenges and opportunities (#34)

Danette H Langbecker 1
  1. The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD, Australia

Telehealth, in the form of videoconsultation, remote monitoring, or store-and-forward exchange of digital information between patient and clinician or between clinicians, is increasingly used to deliver clinical health services to a patient physically separated from their clinician. Used in a wide variety of specialty areas, and increasingly in cancer care, telehealth can improve access to services for underserved communities, and promote flexibility in the way health services are delivered to patients in remote and metropolitan locations. Despite evidence for improvements in access and high levels of patient satisfaction with telehealth, uptake in Australia and internationally has been slow and fragmented. Acceptance, integration and adoption of telehealth as a ‘business as usual’ activity requires change in clinical practice and attention to implementation enablers and barriers. Drawing on evidence for telehealth implementation across diverse clinical settings, this presentation will provide an overview of the challenges and opportunities for telehealth in cancer care.