How the pandemic impacted breast cancer clinics
Once COVID-19 caused the hospitals to be overcrowded, patients stopped showing up for other crucial follow-up appointments because they didn’t want to risk exposure. One such clinic in Brazil found that fear of transmission and social distancing impacted the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients. The AC Camargo Cancer Center found a 49.4% decrease in patient appointments between March and May 2020. Due to having over one million cases in the state without a vaccine, the government approved telemedicine in April 2020, which significantly helped breast cancer follow-up and surveillance. This clinic implemented telemedicine in June of 2020 to address the 13% decrease in breast cancer surgeries during this period.
How telemedicine changed how screenings and follow-ups are conducted
Through testing its effectiveness, AC Camargo Cancer Center found telehealth to be an effective tool for ensuring these crucial appointments happen regularly. When patients are unaware of their conditions or have no one to speak to, they seek help once the disease has already spread. These crucial screening and check-up meetings help make patients aware of their current health concerns, which isn’t possible without telemedicine. The implementation of telemedicine allows these patients to be educated and stay vigilant on their disease. During the Cancer Centers testing, they realized that telemedicine was an effective method for promoting cancer prevention strategies directly to those with the disease. It helps to allow quality control of screening programs and reduce healthcare costs. These same results are present in clinics around the world that have implemented telemedicine.
What Porton Health can do for you clinic
Porton Health is committed to ensuring critical interactions between healthcare providers and patients through our easy-to-use platforms. Our BookApp allows patients to easily book appointments such as follow-up or screening appointments which reduces the workload for medical office assistants. Porton Health is also developing a virtual meeting application MeetApp is seamlessly integrated into OSCAR-EMRs to give patients a platform to speak with providers. Our applications continue to reduce physical contact and ensure quality care from the comfort of your home.
To learn more about our apps, email us at connect@portonhealth.com.
References
Sonagli, M., Cagnacci Neto, R., Leite, F. P. M., & Makdissi, F. B. A. (2021). The use of telemedicine to maintain breast cancer follow‐up and surveillance during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Journal of Surgical Oncology, 123(2), 371-374. https://doi.org/10.1002/jso.26327