Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39312904›Full record

ArticleCancer medicine2024

Associations between language, telehealth, and clinical outcomes in patients with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Armon Azizi, Aditya Mahadevan, Jagmeet S Arora, Elaine Chiao, Sora Tanjasiri, Farshid Dayyani

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cancer medicine, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Armon AziziSchool of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, USA.
Aditya MahadevanSchool of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2834-5487
Jagmeet S AroraSchool of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, USA.
Elaine ChiaoSchool of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, USA.
Sora TanjasiriDepartment of Health, Society and Behavior, Program of Public Health, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, USA.
Farshid DayyaniDivision of Hematology/Oncology, University of California Irvine Health, Orange, California, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4970-5189

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic prompted a surge in telehealth utilization. However, language barriers have emerged as a potential obstacle to effective telemedicine engagement, impacting millions of limited English proficient (LEP) individuals. Understanding the role of language spoken in telehealth outcomes is critical, particularly in cancer care, in which consistent follow-up and communication are vital. The primary objective was to assess the impact of telehealth utilization and primary language spoken on clinical outcomes in cancer patients.

methodsThis study utilized a retrospective cohort design, encompassing cancer patients seen at the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center between March 1, 2020, and December 31, 2022. The study incorporated both in-person and telehealth visits, examining the association between encounter type and clinical outcomes.

resultsThe study included 7890 patients with more than one outpatient visit during the study period. There was decreased telehealth utilization in non-English speaking cancer patients throughout the pandemic. Increased telehealth utilization was associated with higher rates of admission, irrespective of cancer type. Additionally, telehealth visits were associated with longer duration of subsequent admissions compared to in-person visits. Spanish-speaking patients utilizing telehealth had higher rates of re-admission compared to English speakers utilizing telehealth. Patients who died had higher rates of telehealth utilization compared to patients who survived. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This study demonstrates that primary language spoken is associated with differences in telehealth utilization and associated outcomes in cancer patients. These differences suggest that the interplay of telehealth and language could contribute to widening of disparities in clinical outcomes in these populations. The study underscores the need to optimize telehealth usage and minimize its limitations to enhance the quality of cancer care in a telehealth-driven era.

Indexed as

COVID-19NeoplasmsTelemedicineAdultAgedCommunication BarriersFemaleHumansLanguageMaleMiddle AgedPandemicsRetrospective StudiesSARS-CoV-2cancerCOVID‐19health disparitieslanguage barriertelehealth

Identifiers

PMID39312904
PMCPMC11419674

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.