Telehealth models could be extended to conducting clinical trials-a teletrial approach

Telehealth models could be extended to conducting clinical trials-A Teletrial approachAccess to specialist cancer care services is a significant issue faced by residents of rural, remote, Indigenous and some regional communities in countries with large rural populations (Hazin and Qaddoumi, 2010).Lack of access to specialist services may be due to lack of availability of specialist oncologists locally, limited scope of practice of other rural health professionals and/or overall rural workforce shortages.Poor access to such specialized health care services could be one of the contributors to the disparity in survival and disease related outcomes that exist between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan patients (Australian Institue of Health and Welfare, 2008, Jong KE et al., 2004, Coory MD and PD, 2005, Sabesan and Piliouras, 2009), although it is acknowledged that this issue is complex and may also relate to other factors such as behavioural or cultural factors.