NCCS Project Aims to Gain Cancer Survivors’ Insights on Telehealth

This month, the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) launched a project to identify and share cancer patients’ and survivors’ perspectives on telehealth in cancer care.

Regulatory, societal and practice changes associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have led to an increased use of telehealth, including in various aspects of cancer care. In this rapidly changing environment, there has been little opportunity to gain insight and direction from people with cancer regarding the feasibility and acceptability of telehealth for cancer care.

NCCS will engage patients and survivors to articulate patient needs and perspectives for effective use of telehealth in cancer care, to improve clinical practice, educate cancer survivors and their families, and inform public policy. Goals of the project include the following:

• Obtain direction from cancer patients and survivors about how to maximize the benefits of telehealth. At the same time, obtain feedback from cancer providers.
• Create resources for oncology practices on how to address patient barriers and increase the effectiveness of telehealth visits, and for patients and families about what to expect from telehealth visits and how to prepare for those visits.
• Develop and disseminate a white paper with policy recommendations from a patient perspective and engage in policy advocacy.

Initial findings from the project will be available by the end of June.

NCCS is a nonprofit patient advocacy organization with a mission to advocate for quality cancer care for everyone touched by cancer.

NCCS thanks Pfizer, Inc. for their support of this important initiative.