Virtual care during the COVID-19 pandemic: Experiences of health care workers

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to rethink our ways of doing things and to adapt how we offer services to the public. The health care field has been no exception, with the expansion of virtual care as a standard approach for providing health care. This change is highlighted by Digital Health Week, which is an annual celebration of how digital and virtual health is transforming the delivery of care across Canada. In the fall of 2021, about one in four health care workers (24%) reported providing some health care services virtually since March 2020—the official start of the pandemic.

Phone, video, email or text?

Among health care professionals who provided virtual care, the vast majority did so by phone (87%), almost half by video (47%) and roughly one-quarter by email, text or instant messaging (26%).

Which health care workers were most likely to respond virtually to your health care needs? The percentage of these workers reporting providing virtual care was highest in the group that included psychologists, social workers and family counsellors (79%), followed by physicians (66%).

Based on their experience providing virtual care, at least one in three health care workers felt care provided over the phone or via video was of the same or better quality than in-person care. Notably, healthcare workers’ experiences providing virtual care compared with in-person care does not necessarily provide information about how healthcare workers perceive the quality of virtual care. As virtual care continues to become a standard part of health care delivery, it is important to ensure the patient and provider experience, as well as the quality of care, are optimized.

Would you like to know more about this topic? Check out our infographic for more exciting data on virtual health care during the pandemic.