Providing Supportive and Palliative Care Using Telemedicine for Patients with Advanced Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Mexico

Abstract

COVID-19 has overwhelmed the capacity of health care systems, limiting access to supportive and palliative care for patients with advanced cancer. Telemedicine has emerged as a tool to provide care continuity to patients while limiting the risk of contagion. However, implementing telemedicine in resource-limited settings is challenging. We report the results of a multidisciplinary patient-navigator-led telemedicine supportive care program in Mexico City. One-hundred sixty-three telemedicine interventions were provided to 45 patients (median age 68, 57% female). A quarter of the patients had less than or equal to elementary school education, and 15% lived in a rural area. The most common interventions were psychological care (33%), pain and symptom control (25%), and nutritional counseling (13%). Half of the interventions were provided by video conferencing. The most common patient-reported barrier was limited experience using communication technology. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of providing supportive and palliative care interventions using telemedicine in resource-limited settings.