Implementing oncology virtual clinics (VC) in response to COVID 19 pandemic: A transformation driven by a crisis

Background: In response to COVID-19 pandemic, we launched VC to minimize hospital visits, decrease exposures to infection and ensure continuity of care to all cancer patients Our project aimed to assess the value of VC in management of oncology patients and the level of patient and staff satisfaction with it Methods: On March 18, 2020, we introduced VC to all specialties at the Oncology Department, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Medical records were reviewed by the oncologists to identify patients who can be evaluated through VC, those who need to come personally, and those whose appointment can be deferred Scheduled patients in VC were contacted through locally developed application (EIADATY) or by phone call Performing laboratory testing near home and shipping medications were done when feasible We reviewed the data of VC from March 18 to April 30, 2020 including satisfaction results of patients and staff using Likert scale from 1 to 5 with 1 being very dissatisfied and 5 being very satisfied) Results: A total of 29 clinic sessions/week were established for different oncology services Out of 1319 scheduled patients, 1152 (87%) answered the call (90% via phone, 5% via application and 5% used both) Of the 149 patients surveyed, their overall satisfaction ( Score\u003e3 out of 5) with punctuality was (92%), physician interaction (90%), duration of visit (90%), medication requesting (91%), medication shipping (79%) and satisfaction with whole experience (92%) Out of 89 involved physicians, 74 (83%) completed the survey with overall satisfaction with booking process (91%), communication tools (77%), and general satisfaction (93%) 93% of physicians believed that patients were satisfied with the experience and 81 % expected to continue VC beyond the pandemic Survey of 44 support staff (nurses, coordinators, and pharmacists) revealed similar results Conclusions: The transition to VC was well accepted by both patients and clinicians Optimizing the video communication tool and the process of performing pre-visit laboratory and radiology tests closer to patients home and shipping medications are essential for the enhancement of the VC function Legal entity responsible for the study: The authors Funding: Has not received any funding Disclosure: N Almutairi: Research grant/Funding (self): MSD All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest