When “virtual” works and when it doesn’t: A survey of physician and patient experiences with virtual care during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Objective To assess the experience of virtual care among both patients and physicians across a range of clinical scenarios during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A web-based survey was disseminated to patients and physicians through a variety of media and healthcare communications from May 2020 to July 2021. Demographic details and attitudes across a range of virtual care domains were collected. Quantitative responses were analyzed descriptively. Open-text responses were gathered to contrast when a virtual visit was superior or inferior to an in-person one, and a thematic content analysis was used. Results There were 197 patients and 93 physician respondents, representing a range of demographic and practice characteristics. Patients noted several benefits of virtual care and felt it should continue to be available. Physicians felt they could do a lot of their care virtually. Common themes related to the superiority of virtual care were for “quick” visits, reviewing test results, chronic disease monitoring, and medication needs. Virtual care was less ideal when a physical exam was needed, and was not perceived as a good fit for an individual's cultural, language, or emotional needs. Certain conditions were identified as both ideal and non-ideal for the virtual format (e.g. mental healthcare). Discussion Certain situations are more amenable to virtual care with personal preferences among both patients and physicians. Future priorities should ensure that virtual care is effective across the range of clinical situations in which it may be used and that both virtual and in-person options are equally available to those who want them.