Impact of Telemedicine Use by Oncology Physicians on the Patient and Informal Caregiver Experience of Receiving Care: Protocol for a Scoping Review in the Context of COVID-19

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of telemedicine by oncology physicians in Manitoba, Canada, has increased to limit the risk of exposure to the virus for both patients and health care providers. It is not clear how telemedicine impacts the information needs of patients or the experience of receiving cancer care. Objective: The objective of this study is to describe how the use of telemedicine impacts the information needs and experience of patients with cancer and their informal caregivers (ie, family and friends) and identify directions for future research. Methods: This review will include all studies addressing telemedicine in the cancer context including those using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches. This scoping review will be conducted using the methodology described by the Joanna Briggs Institute. In collaboration with a librarian scientist specializing in health sciences, a comprehensive search will be undertaken to identify and retrieve relevant reports published in English from 1990 to the present. Databases searched will include MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and PsycINFO. Data will be extracted by two independent reviewers, synthesized, and reported in a summary table and in a narrative format describing what has been reported regarding the impact of telemedicine by physicians in oncology on the experience of patients and their informal caregivers and their receipt of information. Results: The results from this scoping review are expected to be available by late spring 2021. Conclusions: The results from this scoping review will be useful for informing practice as well as directing future research, both in the context of COVID-19 and beyond.