Kudos to Paula Koppel, PhD student, and her sponsor Jennie De Gagne, professor, for the submission of her American Holistic Nurses Association application entitled: "Exploring Nurse and Patient Experiences of Rapport during Oncology Ambulatory Care Videoconferencing Visits: A Qualitative Study." This proposal requests funds for a five-month period with a start date of April 1, 2021.

Background

When telehealth became essential for cancer patients due to Covid-19, providers had little research to support this change in practice. Studies suggest that interactions during videoconferencing, while similar to in-person encounters, present unique challenges that can lead to misunderstandings impacting rapport, diagnostic accuracy, and compliance. Little research has evaluated rapport techniques in telehealth.

Objectives

This qualitative study investigates the nature of rapport between nurses and patients with cancer during ambulatory care videoconferencing visits. Research questions explore how patients with cancer and their nurses experience rapport during telehealth videoconferencing visits.

Methods

A qualitative descriptive design with stratified purposive sampling will recruit nurses and patients with cancer at an oncology ambulatory center who have participated in telehealth visits. Individual semi-structured interviews will provide perspectives of both nurses and patients. Content analysis of text-based data from transcribed audiotapes will be inductively coded, ensuring analysis grounded in the participants’ experiences. Codebook, analytical memos, and member checking will enhance analytical rigor. Themes will emerge from second-level coding. The consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) checklist will guide our report, including a descriptive narrative and illustrative model.

Significance

This exploration is timely and important given the pandemic has forced care to be offered remotely, and telehealth is likely to be a component of oncology care after the pandemic. This research will help determine what relational practices need to be adapted to promote nurse-patient rapport, setting the foundation for interventional studies, and evidence-based practice guidelines for therapeutic relationships during videoconferencing telehealth visits.