A permanent legacy of the pandemic? Outcomes of and staff views on the introduction of virtual clinics to an Irish oncology service

BACKGROUND: Virtual clinics were introduced to our practice in March 2020. We aimed to assess outcomes from virtual clinics and to assess staff views on them and their barriers to implementation nationally. METHODS: We prospectively assessed outcomes from 53 planned virtual consultations in a cancer centre oncology outpatient department (April–July 2020). Thirty-two oncologists completed an online survey. RESULTS: Visit durations ranged from < 5 min (n = 2, 4%) to 30 + min/patient (n = 9, 20%) (median: 18 min (range 4–141, IQR 10–30 min)). Median time spent preparing for patients who did not attend (n = 6, 11%) was 15 min (range 9–15 min). Most patients were scheduled for routine follow-up (n = 41, 87%), with some planned for an early in-person visit (n = 3) or investigation (n = 3). Where bloods had been requested (n = 25), samples had often not been taken (n = 20, 80%) or results were unavailable (n = 3, 12%). Different plans may have been agreed with two patients (4%) had they attended in-person. Virtual visits were perceived as faster by most doctors in the online survey (n = 26, 84%), with some (n = 5, 16%) reporting a difference of 10 min per patient. Many (n = 13, 42%) arranged earlier follow-up appointments. Low satisfaction was associated with difficulty with patient assessment (81%) or communication (63%), resource limitation (48%), or poor access to results of investigations (40%). The majority (n = 21, 67%) do not feel their virtual clinic quality is as good as in-person. CONCLUSIONS: If virtual clinics are to play a long-term role in oncology, it is essential to monitor clinic quality and plan visits proactively.