Effects of Virtual Care on Patient and Provider Experience of the Clinical Encounter: Qualitative Hermeneutic Study
Patients in the study appreciated the convenience of not needing to travel for appointments, while still having the option for in-person contact with local providers or specialists if their condition changed. Providers were more concerned about the loss of visual cues and sensory data for assessments, as well as the reduced opportunity to build relationships through conversation with patients. Providers also described changes in the locus of control and boundaries, as patients could join phone encounters from anywhere, bypassing traditional privacy and confidentiality boundaries. The study offers a nuanced view of the effects of virtual care on clinical encounters in one setting, seen through the experiences of both patients and providers.
Authors
- Martha MacLeod (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4174-6381)
- Steinunn Jónatansdóttir (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5005-0944)
- David Snadden (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4818-1184)
- Graham McCaffrey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5702-4818)
- Peter Zimmer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2382-3686)
- Lela Zimmer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3966-6438)
- Ian D. Graham (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3669-1216)
- Erin Wilson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5977-3452)
- Anurag Singh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-0497-5771)
Institutions
- University of British Columbia (CA)
- University of Northern British Columbia (CA)
- University of Ottawa (CA)
- University of Calgary (CA)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Medical Internet Research
- Published
- 2024-10-19
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.2196/52552
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.17