Patients' expectations and barriers towards postoperative telehealth follow-up after oncologic breast surgery in France
Clinical Snapshot
PICO Framework
| P — Population | Adult patients (predominantly female) attending pre- or postoperative follow-up appointments for breast cancer at the Department of Breast and Reconstructive Surgery, Civil Hospitals of Colmar, France, March–August 2025 |
| I — Intervention | Postoperative telehealth/telemonitoring follow-up after oncologic breast surgery (including assessment of digital accessibility, acceptability, patient expectations, and perceived barriers) |
| C — Comparator | In-person (face-to-face) postoperative follow-up consultations — the implicit comparator as the current standard of care |
| O — Outcomes | Patient expectations of and barriers to telehealth follow-up; digital tool accessibility; acceptability of telemonitoring; preferred features of telemonitoring; sociodemographic factors associated with acceptance (e.g., retired status) |
Bottom Line
This prospective single-centre French survey of 124 breast cancer surgical patients provides useful preliminary evidence on patient expectations and barriers to postoperative telehealth follow-up. Despite high digital accessibility, most patients preferred in-person consultations, with fear of reduced human contact being the dominant barrier. Key desired telehealth features included complication reporting and recovery and pain monitoring. Retired patients were less accepting of telemonitoring. The authors propose a pragmatic hybrid model combining early telemonitoring with later face-to-face review. While the findings are clinically intuitive and actionable, the study has important limitations: monocentric design, absence of a reported response rate, lack of questionnaire validation, no reflexivity statement, and insufficient reporting of statistical methods. These factors constrain confidence in the findings and limit generalisability. For Australian clinicians, the study reinforces the importance of patient-centred design in telehealth implementation, particularly for older patients. A hybrid follow-up model is consistent with current MBS telehealth funding structures and RACGP guidance. Larger, multicentre, and ideally mixed-methods studies incorporating healthcare professional perspectives are needed before definitive practice recommendations can be made.
Key Findings
P Value: Not reported in abstract
Effect Size: Not reported in abstract; specific proportions and frequencies not provided
Primary Outcome: Most patients expressed a strong preference for in-person follow-up visits despite recognising advantages of telemonitoring. The most expected telemonitoring features were the ability to report postoperative complications and to monitor recovery and pain. The primary barrier to telehealth adoption was fear of reduced human contact.
Nnt Or Sensitivity: Not applicable to this survey study; the key association reported is that retired status was associated with lower acceptance of postoperative telemonitoring (statistical measure not specified in abstract)
Confidence Interval: Not reported
Clinical Application
The proposed hybrid model — combining early postoperative telemonitoring with later in-person consultations — is feasible in well-resourced healthcare settings with established telehealth infrastructure. High digital tool accessibility among participants supports implementation. However, tailored support for older and retired patients will be required to address lower acceptance in this subgroup. Integration of telemonitoring for complication reporting and pain monitoring aligns with existing telehealth platforms used in surgical care. In Australia, telehealth in oncology is supported by Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) telehealth items introduced and expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic, with ongoing funding for specialist and GP telehealth consultations. The RACGP and relevant specialist colleges support hybrid care models. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australian women (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data), making postoperative telehealth follow-up a high-priority area. The TGA does not regulate telehealth platforms per se, but data security and privacy obligations under the Australian Privacy Act 1988 and My Health Record framework are relevant. The finding regarding retired patients' lower acceptance is particularly pertinent given Australia's ageing population and the need for digital health equity strategies. BreastScreen Australia and state-based breast cancer care networks could serve as implementation vehicles for hybrid follow-up models informed by this evidence. Adult patients (predominantly female) undergoing oncologic breast surgery, including mastectomy, breast-conserving surgery, and reconstructive procedures, who require structured postoperative follow-up
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Surgery is the most frequent treatment for breast cancer and requires postoperative follow-up to detect complications and monitor patient recovery. Postoperative telemonitoring has demonstrated benefits in improving rehabilitation and psychological well-being. However, patient expectations of and barriers to telehealth follow-up after oncologic breast surgery remain insufficiently explored. METHODS: A prospective survey was conducted among adult patients attending pre- or postoperative follow-up appointments for breast cancer in the Department of Breast and Reconstructive Surgery at the Civil Hospitals of Colmar between March and August 2025. The questionnaire comprised four sections: demographic data, treatments received, telemedicine accessibility and acceptability, and patient expectations of and barriers to telemonitoring. RESULTS: A total of 124 questionnaires were analyzed. Results demonstrated high accessibility to digital tools among participants. Although patients recognized several advantages of telemonitoring, most expressed a strong preference for in-person follow-up visits. The most expected features included the ability to report postoperative complications and to monitor recovery and pain. The main barrier was the fear of reduced human contact. Retired status was associated with lower acceptance of postoperative telemonitoring. CONCLUSION: These findings support the implementation of a hybrid follow-up model combining early postoperative telemonitoring with later in-person consultations, which could help reassure patients and shorten hospital stays while maintaining personalized care. The monocentric design may limit the external validity of the findings. Future studies should explore patients' perceptions following repeated use of telemonitoring tools and incorporate healthcare professionals' perspectives on their integration into clinical practice.
References
- 1.Prevost, S., Mazellier, S., Weitbruch, D., & Lodi, M. (2026). Patients' expectations and barriers towards postoperative telehealth follow-up after oncologic breast surgery in France. Supportive Care in Cancer: Official Journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer. Advance online publication. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42405962
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