Improvements in cancer care through changes implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic
Ce dossier présente un ensemble d'articles concernant la prise en charge des cancers durant la crise sanitaire liée au COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has posed an unprecedented challenge to healthcare systems by mandating resource re-allocation in the face of rapidly increasing patient care needs.1,2 Maximizing healthcare benefits for the most people has necessitated systemic changes in communication with patients and their families, including limiting face-to-face visits for patients with chronic medical conditions, including cancer.3 However, cancer patients are a particularly vulnerable population, as prompt diagnosis and communication can influence the receipt of care and ultimate oncologic outcome. Recent metanalyses have shown that delays in surgical, systemic, or radiation treatments as short as 4 weeks are associated with decreased overall survival for certain cancers.4,5 Furthermore, there has been an undeniable disruption of cancer services through provider reassignment to other duties or decreased practice volume; postponed screenings; delayed surgical, radiation, or chemotherapeutic interventions; suspended clinical trial programs; and prioritization of patients with potentially curable disease.2,3,6, 7, 8 For these reasons, it is essential to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on the communication and timing of cancer-related care. We hypothesized that the methods of communication to discuss surgical pathology results with patients will have transitioned away from in-person visits at the prototypical postoperative appointment to greater frequencies of telemedicine encounters, prompting earlier communication with patients.
The American Journal of Surgery , éditorial, 2021