Telemedicine in radiation oncology post-COVID-19 pandemicOražem, Miha (Avtor) Oblak, Irena (Avtor) Španić, Tanja (Avtor) Ratoša, Ivica (Avtor) telemedicineradiotherapyoncologycovid-19Purpose We aimed to assess patients’ and physicians’ perspectives on wider implementation of telemedicine in radiation oncology practice, disrupted by the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods Quantitative questionnaires were prepared and distributed between May 27 and June 11, 2020. A 29-question survey targeting patients with cancer was distributed electronically via cancer support organizations. Cross-sectional data from a selected weekday at a radiation oncology department were also analyzed. In addition, a 25-question survey was distributed to 168 physicians employed by a comprehensive cancer center. Results In total, we have analyzed 468 patients’ and 101 physicians’ responses. Among responding patients, 310 were undergoing active treatment and 158 were in follow-up care. Both patients and physicians reported no experiences with video consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic, but 15% of patients stated that they missed telemedicine services that would include a video call. Overall, 30.6% of patients expressed interest in more frequent usage of telemedicine and 23.3% would start using it. Sixty-seven percent of radiation oncologists expressed interest in more frequent usage of telemedicine, and 14% would use it similarly as in the past. For patients treated with radiation therapy (RT), 59.9% and 63.4% of the responding patients acknowledged that video consultations would be an important addition to medical care during RT course or after the completion of RT, respectively. Comparably, 61.1% and 63.9% of radiation oncologists believed video consultations would be useful or extremely useful for patients undergoing RT or for patients in the follow-up setting, respectively. Conclusions The post–COVID-19 era represents a unique chance to improve and guarantee continuity of cancer care via telemedicine solutions, when appropriate.20202020-11-20 08:51:28Neznano122088UDK: 615.82/.84ISSN pri članku: 0360-3016DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2020.06.052COBISS_ID: 26998531sl