Can virtual care reduce treatment burden in pediatric leukemia? A retrospective cost analysis

Jonas Dreher; Andreas Meryk; David Riedl; Gabriele Kropshofer; Benjamin Hetzer; Sabrina Neururer; Bernhard Pfeifer; Verena Schneeberger-Carta; Bernhard Holzner; Roman Crazzolara

doi:10.1002/pbc.30498

Can virtual care reduce treatment burden in pediatric leukemia? A retrospective cost analysis

Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2023 Jun 19:e30498. doi: 10.1002/pbc.30498. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Medical Psychology, University Hospital of Psychiatry II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
² Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
³ Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Rehabilitation Research, Vienna, Austria.
⁴ Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Tyrolean Federal Institute for Integrated Care, Tirol Kliniken GmbH, Innsbruck, Austria.

PMID: 37337270
DOI: 10.1002/pbc.30498

Abstract

We conducted a retrospective analysis to determine the potential reduction in treatment burden through the expansion of virtual care among children with leukemia (n = 152). Patients living in urban areas traveled median distances of 1555 km compared with 7536 km for patients living in rural areas (p < .05). For the latter group, a median reduction in travel distance of 3560 km (interquartile range [IQR], 2136-5787 km), travel time of 51 h (IQR, 26-78 h), and CO₂ emissions of 623 kg (IQR, 374-1013 kg) was estimated, if every second visit was replaced by video consultations.

Keywords: childhood cancer; ePROtect; video consultation; virtual care.

Abstract

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