Models of Care Toolkit

Virtual care

Patients in rural and remote communities often travel great distances to access cancer services. In some cases, patients are forced to make treatment decisions based on factors such as the ability to arrange childcare for long periods of time, or to take extended time off work.

Using virtual care and digital health solutions to replace clinic visits, when appropriate, reduces the burden of treatment on patients and caregivers. It makes it more efficient for patients to manage medical appointments and monitor their health, as well as minimizes challenges experienced when accessing care. Virtual clinics can also slow the spread of secondary infections for cancer patients by keeping them out of high-risk areas such as waiting rooms. Optimizing care solutions that take advantage of existing infrastructure and IT resources such as home consultations or follow-up can help improve access to the best care.

Historically, there have been many perceived barriers to virtual appointments, such as patient privacy and reasonable clinician compensation. The need for social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic introduced more opportunities for virtual care that should be sustained by a post-COVID-19 health system. However, adequate internet access continues to prove challenging in some of the most remote areas.

Digital health solutions – helping patients in real time

Digital health solutions provide evidence-based therapeutic interventions, through direct, patient-facing software applications that are designed to help patients and their care team monitor and manage symptoms, support prevention strategies and more. Digital health solutions can be connected to sensors for remote monitoring of symptoms and biometric data, or simply act as a platform for the collection of electronic Patient Reported Outcomes (ePROs). These types of solutions facilitate symptom management by patients, with or without real-time decision support from their care team.

Digital health solutions present an opportunity to address unmet needs in the prevention or management of adverse events in patients with cancer including:

• Increased communication between patients, providers and their communities
• Education of patients and caregivers
• Integration of standard clinical assessments with ePROs measured during routine clinical practice
• Help for patients in monitoring their respective conditions
• Improved patient empowerment and self-management
• Prospective evaluations of supportive care interventions and real-world efficiency of care for cancer patients.

Digital health solutions are associated with improved patient experience, increased adherence and treatment efficacy, and avoidance of unnecessary hospitalizations.¹