Background:
Australian cancer survivorship research is a growing field, with over 30% of cancer survivors living in rural and remote areas. These individuals face barriers such as funding, networking, and time constraints, limiting access to services. Unmet needs include psychosocial (fear of recurrence, anxiety), physical (fatigue, daily living activities), and financial (hospital costs, travel) issues. Rural patients often receive limited survivorship care and telehealth is a valuable tool for increasing access to survivorship services. Limited studies have compared the pattern of needs assessment in face to face and telehealth settings.
Aim:
This cross-sectional study assesses the survivorship care needs of regional cancer patients, comparing face-to-face (FF) consultations pre- and telehealth (TH) during the pandemic and post pandemic period, to evaluate the effectiveness of telehealth in addressing their survivorship needs.
Methods:
Data was collected from Latrobe Regional Health patients between 2017 and 2024. and used the Distress Thermometer (DT) and Kessler Psychological Distress score (K10) to assess psychosocial toxicities.
Result:
Among the 543 patients, 386 were female, 357 had breast cancer and 107 had prostate cancer . There were 269 patients (49.5%) seen FF and 274(50.5%) seen by TH. The detailed analysis of the data with regards to the two modalities will be presented at the meeting.
Conclusion:
This study attempts to define the role of telehealth and face to face care in providing support to the patients in regional setting.