Vol. 4, Issue 1, Part B (2024)

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth was not commonly utilized for managing breast cancer at specialized hospitals. Our goal was to study how satisfied patients were with telehealth visits in breast medical oncology at selected Cancer Centre, as well as their experiences, preferences, and perceptions of effectiveness and technical quality. We conducted a survey with 80 post-treatment individuals over a 9-month period who had received telehealth consultations during the COVID-19 outbreak, Statistics that described each question, domain, and the total survey scores were subsequently produced. Chi-square or t-tests were utilized for subgroup comparisons within patient populations as needed. Out of the 80 individuals, 46 (57.5%) were receiving regular check-ups while receiving treatment for early-stage or metastatic breast cancer. 38 participants (47.5%) found telehealth visits to be just as effective as in-person office visits in terms of communication quality. The majority of participants (n = 46, 57.5%) perceived receiving the same level of care in both telehealth and face-to-face appointments, with 41 participants (51%) indicating a sense of connection with their healthcare provider in both types of visits. Furthermore, 30 individuals (37.5%) believed that telehealth appointments were as long as in-person visits, 46 (57.5%) thought discussing sensitive matters was equally comfortable with both methods, 39 (48%) found telehealth visits convenient, and 42 (52.5%) thought the quality of care between telehealth and in-person visits was comparable. Attendees were very pleased with telehealth visits, with 42 (52.5%) describing their experience as extremely satisfying. The majority of participants (n = 44, 55%) indicated a high probability of engaging in telehealth consultations for breast cancer follow-up care in the upcoming days.