ArticleSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2025
Effectiveness of telehealth versus face-to-face appointments in identifying complications following breast cancer surgery.
Article in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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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.
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.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Patient acceptance of telemedicine for breast cancer follow-up: a cross-sectional study from Eastern China.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeThe aim of this prospective cohort study was to compare the identification of complications through telehealth versus face-to-face appointments following breast cancer surgery. Client satisfaction and acceptance of each appointment mode were also examined.
methodsFifty-three participants with a diagnosis of breast cancer were recruited from a breast surgery pre-admission clinic and attended two modes of assessment: video telehealth and face-to-face. The assessments were 2-7 days apart, 16-34 days post-surgery. Complications related to an increased risk of lymphoedema were assessed by a lymphoedema physiotherapist or occupational therapist as present or not: wound healing and infection, shoulder range of motion, cording, upper limb or breast swelling, and pain. Participants completed an online satisfaction survey after each appointment. Observed agreement and Gwet's AC1 coefficients were used to examine the agreement in complication identification between assessment modes. An a priori agreement coefficient of ≥ 80% was deemed clinically acceptable.
resultsAgreement between telehealth and face-to-face appointments met the criteria for acceptability for wound healing, infection, and shoulder range of motion. However, swelling (AC1 coefficient 0.59, 95%CI 0.36-0.82), cording (0.71, 95%CI 0.51-0.90), and pain (0.79, 95%CI 0.63-0.95) did not meet the criteria. Eighty-nine percent (n = 39/44) of participants agreed they would use telehealth again, while 67% (n = 34/51) of participants preferred the face-to-face appointment over the telehealth appointment.
conclusionAgreement levels for identifying swelling, cording, and pain via telehealth were deemed not acceptable. Improved questioning and screening practices are required to improve the detection of complications during telehealth appointments. This will ensure the accessibility of effective post-operative complication screening for all people post breast cancer surgery.
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