Virtual cancer care resources

Preparing for Virtual Care: Making the most of your time and space

Voice-over (VO): Virtual cancer care appointments can be a great way to connect with your healthcare team, and some setup can go a long way in helping you have a positive experience.

[The main character walks on screen from the right. They are preparing for their virtual cancer care appointment. An oversized laptop slides in from the left. Members of the healthcare team wave from the screen of the laptop. The main character waves back. Then the laptop fades out.]

VO: Making the most of when and where you have your appointment is an important part.

[The main character turns and walks to the right side of the screen. An open door appears and they walk through it.]

VO: You may not be able to choose when you have your appointment, but here are some things you can do to prepare.

[The main character walks to a desk with a laptop. They open the laptop and then look at their watch.]

VO: Try not to plan other commitments right before or after your virtual care appointment. You could use this time to relax and focus.

[As the main character stands in front of their laptop, a thought bubble appears to their left. In the thought bubble, there is a page from an appointment book with many meetings and other commitments on it. The thought bubble disappears.]

VO: Talk to your employer about changing your work schedule that day if you need to.

[The screen splits down the middle. The main character is on the right. The left side of the screen shows what the main character is thinking. They imagine talking to their employer about their schedule. Both the main character and their employer look satisfied. The split screen fades out.]

VO: You may want to ask someone to help you with some of your daily responsibilities so you can make time for your appointment.

[The view returns to the main character at their desk. A new thought bubble appears to their left. There is a list in the thought bubble. As the voice-over speaks, checkmarks appear next to several of the items on the list. The thought bubble fades out.]

VO: Try to have your appointment in a quiet, private place. This might be at home, in a private space in your local library or in a quiet corner of a coffee shop.

[As the voice-over speaks, 3 circles appear next to the main character. The first circle has a house in it. The second circle has a library building in it. The third bubble has a coffee shop in it. The circles with the house and coffee shop in them fade out. The background transforms into a library setting with a wall of bookshelves and a closed door behind the main character. The circle with the library in it fades out.]

VO: If you can, remove anything that may be noisy or distracting. This may mean turning off your cellphone or closing the door to the space you’re in.

[The focus zooms in on the main character in front of their laptop. They are now in a quiet, private space at the library. A cellphone appears on the desk. It vibrates and the main character turns it off.]

VO: It won’t always be possible to have your virtual care appointment at the perfect time or in the perfect space. Try your best. If you need help, your healthcare team, your caregiver or someone else close to you can support you.

[The focus zooms out to show more of the room around the main character. Their caregiver comes to their side and puts a comforting hand on the main character’s shoulder. They look at each other and smile. The scene ends.]

VO: The Canadian Cancer Society is also here to help. Visit cancer.ca or call us at 1-888-939-3333. You can also visit our virtual care resource hub at cancer.ca/virtualcare.

[The Canadian Cancer Society’s name, logo, phone number and website address appear in the centre of the screen. The Merck logo appears below with the following text: “Made possible through the support of Merck Canada Inc. The opinions expressed are those of its authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Merck Canada Inc.” As the voice-over mentions the virtual care information hub, the URL cancer.ca/virtualcare appears on the screen.]

Preparing for Virtual Care: Understanding and supporting patients’ needs

Voice-over (VO): Virtual cancer care appointments can be a great way to connect with patients. A little work beforehand can go a long way in making sure you and your patients have a positive experience.

[Members of the healthcare team walk onto the screen from the left. An oversized cellphone slides in from the right. Their patient waves from the screen of the cellphone. The healthcare providers wave back.]

VO: Understanding patients’ concerns about virtual care and supporting them is an important part.

[The healthcare providers fade out. The focus zooms in on the patient, who walks across the screen and through an open door on the right.]

VO: Patients who are unfamiliar with virtual care may be worried or skeptical for many reasons. They may think that they won’t get the same quality of care that they do in person.

[The patient walks to a desk with a laptop. They look worried. A spiral appears next to their head to show that they are thinking about their concerns.]

VO: You can reassure them by listening to them and acknowledging their concerns.

[The focus zooms in on the patient. A circle appears on the left side of the screen. There is an ear in the circle to show that their healthcare team is listening to them.]

VO: It may help to let them know that they will see the same familiar team members and have the same amount of time and undivided attention.

[The patient’s doctor appears on the right side of the screen. They are smiling to reassure the patient.]

VO: Explain that they will be able to test technology and get any instructions they need in advance.

[The patient becomes smaller and moves to the bottom of the screen. Above their head, a tablet with a checkmark on it appears, showing that they will get to test the technology used in their appointments. Pieces of paper with instructions appear behind the tablet. The tablet shifts to the left side of the screen.]

VO: Remind them that if something comes up that can’t be treated virtually, they will get the in-person care they need.

[A hospital building appears above the patient. They look relieved. The scene ends.]

VO: Sometimes, patients’ concerns can be more complicated. There may be other barriers to consider. For example, some people don’t have a safe space for virtual care appointments. Or they may have mental or physical health conditions that make it hard for them to use virtual care.

[The doctor is walking down the halls of a hospital. They look concerned. A thought bubble with a question mark in it appears above their head.]

VO: If something is stopping your patient from getting the most out of virtual care, talk to your team about other ways you can support them.

[The doctor meets 2 other members of the healthcare team in the hallway. Speech bubbles appear over their heads to show that they are talking about how to best care for their patient. Their expressions change from concerned to happy.]

VO: The Canadian Cancer Society is also here to help you and your patients. Visit cancer.ca or call us at 1-888-939-3333. You can also visit our virtual care resource hub at cancer.ca/virtualcare.

[The Canadian Cancer Society’s name, logo, phone number and website address appear in the centre of the screen. The Merck logo appears below with the following text: “Made possible through the support of Merck Canada Inc. The opinions expressed are those of its authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Merck Canada Inc.” As the voice-over mentions the virtual care information hub, the URL cancer.ca/virtualcare appears on the screen.] 

[The video opens with a close-up shot of Dr Paul Wankah speaking. He is a Black man wearing a collared shirt and glasses.]

Dr Paul Wankah: My name is Paul Wankah and I am an assistant professor at McGill University, Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences.

[The camera zooms out, but continues to show Dr Wankah speaking. His name and title are shown on the screen in a yellow box as he begins to explain his research.]

Dr Wankah: I am a health services and policy researcher that focuses on understanding how the health system works, in order to identify what the gaps are and how we can improve it for everyone. What we did is, we carried out six focus groups across the ten Canadian provinces.

[As Dr Wankah is speaking, the words “Community Experiences in Cancer Care” appear on screen in a white box.]

Dr Wankah: We were talking with older Black people living with cancer, their caregivers, and also the healthcare professionals that supported them during their journey. Mostly focusing on how they experienced the cancer care experience with the virtual technologies.

[Dr Wankah and Dr Ambreen Sayani, a scientist at Women’s College Hospital and assistant professor at the University of Toronto, walk up a staircase at the hospital together. They walk down a hallway, smiling and talking to each other.]

Dr Wankah: We really focused on listening to our respondents. We banked on experiential knowledge in order to understand how they navigated their journey across the system, what they found difficult, and what they found was working for them. This helped us to better understand their lived experience and also to find ways in which we can improve it for them.

[Dr Wankah is shown once again sitting in a chair and speaking. As he speaks, the words “Research Leadership and Representation” appear on screen in a white box.]

Dr Wankah: We were able to connect in a different kind of way. They were able to open up, and maybe share things that they found much more difficult to share with people who are not from our own community. It was a really, really great experience.

[Dr Wankah and Dr Sayani continue talking to each other and walking down the hall. They walk past a Women’s College Hospital sign on the wall.]

Dr Wankah: For most of them, it was the first time actually participating in research that was led by a Black researcher. For me, it was really gratifying to be able to listen and also relate to their experiences, and bring my own humble contribution.

[Dr Wankah is sitting and speaking to the camera once again. The words “Virtual Cancer Care Resources and Impact” appear on screen in a white box as he is speaking. He is then shown scrolling through the virtual care resource hub on the Canadian Cancer Society’s website.]

Dr Wankah: I'm really hopeful that when the patients, caregivers, and also the healthcare providers access resources on the Canadian Cancer Society's website, it would really facilitate and actually break down some of the barriers they are facing.

[Dr Wankah is sitting and speaking to the camera again.]

Dr Wankah: When you look at these resources, they were really simple and user friendly, and the messaging was really clear. What I really liked was especially when you are thinking about the virtual care journey, there is the before, during, and after the virtual care encounter.

[A page from the virtual care resource hub on cancer.ca appears on screen. It shows tips for people living with cancer and caregivers.]

Dr Wankah: The resources actually give some ideas about how to prepare for the virtual care encounter, testing your technology, making sure that you have available internet.

[Dr Wankah and Dr Sayani look at information on the computer screen together. Then the video closes with a final shot of Dr Wankah standing and smiling softly at the camera.]

Dr Wankah: I think this is going to help people to be really prepared in order to have a very effective virtual encounter. And this is really going to improve the way they utilize the virtual care technologies.

[The Canadian Cancer Society’s name and logo appear on screen along with the words “It takes a society,” the phone number 1-888-939-3333 and the URL cancer.ca/virtualcare. Merck’s name and logo also appear near the bottom of the screen. Small text below the Merck name and logo reads, “Made possible through the support of Merck Canada Inc. The opinions expressed are those of its authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Merck Canada Inc.”]