The Effects of Telehealth Interventions on Oncological Disease and Treatment Outcomes: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Tele-oncology research has been primarily feasibility-focused. Treatment-based telegenetic counseling, remote therapy delivery, and palliative care are the major applications of available technology, keeping patients out of the clinic and bringing the interventions home. The efficacy of these technologies will entirely determine patient outcomes and the overall patient work system. The purpose of this study was to report on current tele-oncological outcome studies, evaluation of their outcomes, and implications for future research. We used PubMed, IEEE Xplore, and Web of Science to identify eligible papers that met the defined inclusion criteria ( n=36). The final selected papers included telegenetic counseling (n=4), remote chemotherapy delivery (n=2), and palliative care (n=30). Results showed positive changes in the outcome measures such clinical outcomes for treatment, information exchanges, and therapeutic regimens. There is an evident lack of outcomes research conducted for remote chemotherapy delivery and telegenetic counseling. Future research should stray from feasibility studies and focus more heavily on outcomes, especially for the relatively unexplored fields of remote chemotherapy delivery and telegenetic counseling. Research should also aim to be more quantifiable and explore additional outcomes aside from the general “quality of life", such as adverse events reduction and fatigue severity.