Cancer Centers Are Building Telehealth Training Programs—But Nurses Say Guidelines Are Missing

For over 45 years, nurses have been delivering care to patients over the phone and video. Yet despite decades of practice, there are still no agreed-upon standards for how to train healthcare professionals to do it safely. Researchers at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Australia are now working to change that by creating the first comprehensive guidelines and training curriculum specifically designed for nurses providing telehealth in cancer care.

Why Are Telehealth Training Standards Missing?

The disconnect between what nurses actually do and what they're trained to do has become a significant problem. While telehealth accelerated dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic, most nursing schools still don't teach telehealth competencies as part of their core curriculum. There is no international or national agreement on which skills nurses need to safely assess patients, triage their concerns, or follow up on treatment over video or phone calls.

This education gap creates real risks. Nurses are providing virtual care without formal training in how to conduct assessments without being in the same room as a patient, how to recognize warning signs through a screen, or how to use communication technology effectively in clinical situations. The World Health Organization has promoted telehealth initiatives globally, yet no global standard clinical guidelines exist for safe telehealth practice.

What Is This New Research Project Trying to Accomplish?

Researchers at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Australia's leading cancer treatment facility and one of the top 20 global cancer care centers, are launching a multi-phase study to identify and develop these missing standards. The project aims to accomplish two main goals:

• Clinical Guidelines: Create evidence-based guidelines for nurses and other health professionals conducting virtual health assessments, triage, and follow-up care in cancer settings.
• Training Curriculum: Develop standardized educational materials to prepare both current and future health professionals for telehealth practice.
• Core Competencies: Identify the specific skills and knowledge that nurses need to safely and effectively deliver cancer care remotely.

The research team is using a comprehensive approach that combines literature reviews, interviews with 20 healthcare professionals, an online survey of 200 participants, and five co-design workshops where nurses, patients, and academics will work together to shape the final guidelines.

When Will These New Standards Be Available?

The project received philanthropic funding to support the full duration of the work. Human participant recruitment began in February 2026, with data collection and analysis continuing through December 2026. After presenting results to an ethics committee and gaining clearance, the team plans to pilot and evaluate the program in 2027 before rolling it out more broadly.

"Working with health providers, consumers, and academics toward standards of practice and curricula is clearly needed to ensure that the current and future nursing workforce is prepared for the continuing rise in virtual care," the research team noted in their protocol.

Why Does This Matter for Cancer Patients?

Cancer care often requires frequent check-ins, symptom monitoring, and quick adjustments to treatment plans. Telehealth can make these interactions more convenient for patients, especially those in rural areas or those managing side effects at home. However, without proper training, nurses may miss important clinical signs or fail to recognize when a patient needs in-person evaluation. Standardized guidelines ensure that whether a patient talks to their nurse over video or phone, they receive the same quality of assessment and care.

The research also highlights a broader problem in healthcare: telehealth has become standard practice, but professional education hasn't caught up. Nursing accreditation standards, regulatory requirements, and undergraduate nursing curricula still don't include content on safe virtual care practice, despite nurse leaders, researchers, and policymakers recommending it for years.

Once completed, this project will fill an urgent gap in nursing education and help ensure that telehealth becomes a truly standardized, safe, and effective part of cancer care delivery worldwide.