Anthroposophic Medicine reflections on the Society for Integrative Oncology Practice Recommendations for Online Treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic

Eran Ben-Arye, Gunver S. Kienle, Rolf Heine, Tiffany Russey, Laura Ridolfi, Paul G. Werthmann, Orit Gressel, Emanuela Portalupi
Article-ID: DMS-21424-EN
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14271/DMS-21424-EN

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In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) launched an SIO Online Task Force purposed to cope with the challenges facing continuity of integrative oncology (IO) care. Based on a four-phase consensus process involving IO experts from 19 countries, the taskforce published the SIO Online Practice Recommendations addressing ten challenges on how to provide online IO treatment that include practitioner-guided self-acupressure and a variety of manual, movement, and mind-body therapies. The practice recommendations present practical suggestions on how to overcome unfamiliarity with the online setting, addressing resistance among patients and healthcare practitioners to online IO treatment.

The present article is aimed to reflect on the SIO Online Practice Recommendations from an Anthroposophic Medicine (AM) perspective, acknowledging the benefits, risks and barriers in providing AM treatments, particularly manual-movement and art therapies, in the challenging telemedicine setting. This, while acknowledging the potential of the online therapeutic setting in advancing AM continuity of care, beyond the present limitations of the COVID-19 restrictions.

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10 Ben-Arye E, Paller CJ, Lopez AM, et al. The Society for Integrative Oncology Practice Recommendations for online consultation and treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Support Care Cancer 2021;29(10):6155–6165. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-021-06205-w. [Crossref]

11 Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVay7M_ZX7I (12.07.2021).

12 Kienle GS, Werthmann P, Grotejohann B, et al. Addressing COVID-19 challenges in a randomised controlled trial on exercise interventions in a high-risk population. BMC Geriatr 2021;21:287. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-021-02232-8. [Crossref]

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