The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) issued professional recommendations for standards and practices related to telehealth in oncology, in part due to the growing regularity of remote medical care that has arisen in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The panel endorsed the use of telehealth as a reasonable alternative to in-person care for the treatment of new patients or the delivery of long-term care management.  
 
Appropriate instances for deployment may include patient consultation, medication management, management of chronic care, distress screening and intervention, and supportive care management.  

The experts acknowledged situations where in-person care may be more appropriate, such as initial consultations, new cancer diagnoses, physical examinations related to diagnoses, and the treatment of patients with sensory or cognitive limitations that may impede their ability to use teleconferencing. 

“Where possible, patients may be given the option of in-person or telehealth visits, according to personal preference.” 
- the panel wrote in a qualifying statement.  

The experts endorsed the evaluation and diagnosis of skin lesions via asynchronous transmission of images and stated that health care practices should establish policies allowing for a balance of telehealth and in-person care delivery across the treatment continuum.  
 
Telehealth visits should also need rigorous documentation and affirm the patient’s decision to receive care remotely. 

The delivery of telehealth should involve adequate training for both patient and provider, including confirmation that both have the equipment to proceed with remote care delivery, the panel wrote.  

They endorsed the presence of an information technology (IT) professional during telehealth visits to correct any technological errors that occur in real time. 

The experts further endorsed a series of standards drafted by the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia, which focused on telephone-based care delivery, computerized screenings, and videoconferencing. 

They also suggest the use of telehealth involving multidisciplinary cancer conferences across the care continuum whenever feasible, and telehealth trials to bolster participation and promote health equity in oncology clinical trials. 


Reference: 
https://ascopubs.org/doi/full/10.1200/OP.21.00438 
Images: Getty Images, Pixabay 

 
By Cameron Kelsall, /alert Contributor