TY - JOUR
T1 - The Society for Integrative Oncology Practice Recommendations for online consultation and treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic
AU - Ben-Arye, Eran
AU - Paller, Channing J.
AU - Lopez, Ana Maria
AU - White, Shelley
AU - Pendleton, Eva
AU - Kienle, Gunver S.
AU - Samuels, Noah
AU - Abbawaajii, Nuria
AU - Balneaves, Lynda G.
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank the SIO Board of Trustees and Executive Committee for the trust and support that enabled the commencement of the SIO Online Task Force. Special thanks to the following integrative oncology clinicians who developed and refined practical recommendations for online integrative oncology treatment during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Israel and Italy: Dr. Orit Gressel, Ms. Galit Galil, Ms. Daphna Wolf, Mr. Raviv Peleg, Ms. Pesi Israeli, Dr. Erez Baruch, Dr. Elad Schiff, and Dr. Emanuela Portalupi. We also thank the Anthroposophic Medical Section leadership, particularly Dr. Georg Soldner, Dr. Matthias Girke, and Mr. Rolf Heine, for sharing their learning and for brainstorming on how to develop an online integrative oncology strategy.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s).
PY - 2021/10
Y1 - 2021/10
N2 - Objective: The Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) Online Task Force was created in response to the challenges facing continuity of integrative oncology care resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Task Force set out to guide integrative oncology practitioners in providing effective and safe online consultations and treatments for quality-of-life-concerns and symptom management. Online treatments include manual, acupuncture, movement, mind-body, herbal, and expressive art therapies. Methods: The SIO Online Practice Recommendations employed a four-phase consensus process: (1) literature review and discussion among an international panel of SIO members, identifying key elements essential in an integrative oncology visit; (2) development, testing, and refinement of a questionnaire defining challenges and strategies; (3) refinement input from integrative oncology experts from 19 countries; and (4) SIO Executive Committee review identifying the most high-priority challenges and strategies. Results: The SIO Online Practice Recommendations address ten challenges, providing practical suggestions for online treatment/consultation. These include overcoming unfamiliarity, addressing resistance among patients and healthcare practitioners to online consultation/treatment, exploring ethical and medical-legal aspects, solving technological issues, preparing the online treatment setting, starting the online treatment session, maintaining effective communication, promoting specific treatment effects, involving the caregiver, concluding the session, and ensuring continuity of care. Conclusions: The SIO Online Practice Recommendations are relevant for ensuring continuity of care beyond the present pandemic. They can be implemented for patients with limited accessibility to integrative oncology treatments due to geographic constraints, financial difficulties, physical disability, or an unsupportive caregiver. These recommendations require further study in practice settings.
AB - Objective: The Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) Online Task Force was created in response to the challenges facing continuity of integrative oncology care resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Task Force set out to guide integrative oncology practitioners in providing effective and safe online consultations and treatments for quality-of-life-concerns and symptom management. Online treatments include manual, acupuncture, movement, mind-body, herbal, and expressive art therapies. Methods: The SIO Online Practice Recommendations employed a four-phase consensus process: (1) literature review and discussion among an international panel of SIO members, identifying key elements essential in an integrative oncology visit; (2) development, testing, and refinement of a questionnaire defining challenges and strategies; (3) refinement input from integrative oncology experts from 19 countries; and (4) SIO Executive Committee review identifying the most high-priority challenges and strategies. Results: The SIO Online Practice Recommendations address ten challenges, providing practical suggestions for online treatment/consultation. These include overcoming unfamiliarity, addressing resistance among patients and healthcare practitioners to online consultation/treatment, exploring ethical and medical-legal aspects, solving technological issues, preparing the online treatment setting, starting the online treatment session, maintaining effective communication, promoting specific treatment effects, involving the caregiver, concluding the session, and ensuring continuity of care. Conclusions: The SIO Online Practice Recommendations are relevant for ensuring continuity of care beyond the present pandemic. They can be implemented for patients with limited accessibility to integrative oncology treatments due to geographic constraints, financial difficulties, physical disability, or an unsupportive caregiver. These recommendations require further study in practice settings.
KW - Doctor-patient communication
KW - Integrative oncology
KW - Practice guidelines
KW - Supportive care
KW - Telemedicine
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U2 - 10.1007/s00520-021-06205-w
DO - 10.1007/s00520-021-06205-w
M3 - Article
C2 - 33852088
AN - SCOPUS:85104609605
SN - 0941-4355
VL - 29
SP - 6155
EP - 6165
JO - Supportive Care in Cancer
JF - Supportive Care in Cancer
IS - 10
ER -