Telehealth use and perceptions among prostate cancer survivors

Abstract

Abstract Background Reasons underlying disparities in telehealth use among cancer survivors are unknown. Methods We surveyed a sociodemographically diverse population‐based cohort of 487 prostate cancer survivors regarding their use and perceptions of telehealth during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Results Overall, only 28.5% of survivors had used telehealth at the time of survey and just 10% felt care through telehealth is comparable to that of an in‐person visit. Still, over 55% felt telehealth is a good option for initial consultations or basic care and 15% felt more likely to use telehealth since the pandemic. After adjusting for other socioeconomic factors, survivors with lower education (≤high school vs. any college) had marginally lower use of telehealth (risk ratio [RR], 0.65 [95% CI, 0.42–1.01]) and lower probability of feeling more likely to use telehealth since the pandemic (RR, 0.39 [95% CI, 0.20–0.77]). Conclusions Differences in survivor perceptions of telehealth by education level highlight new insights underlying disparities in telehealth use and potential targets for interventions.

Keywords

• cancer survivors
• sociodemographic factors
• telemedicine