Docmapper evaluation: User experience with a tool for finding language-concordant care from community family physicians.

<h3>Context:</h3> Language-discordant healthcare can lead to worse health outcomes, including an increased risk of mortality in some contexts. In an earlier study, we determined that French-only speakers in some parts of Ottawa face higher travel burdens to access language-concordant care compared to English-speakers. To help address this discrepancy, we developed a web-based mapping tool intended to help patients find language-concordant primary care from community-based family physicians in Ottawa, Ontario. <h3>Objectives:</h3> To assess patient experiences and user satisfaction with an online interactive physician map (www.docmapper.ca; www.trouvezunmedecin.ca) as a means of identifying areas of improvement. <h3>Study Design and Analysis:</h3> A cross-sectional web-based survey. Responses to Likert scale questions were reported as summary statistics, and short-answer responses underwent thematic analysis. <h3>Setting or Dataset:</h3> Ottawa and Renfrew County, Ontario, and the surrounding region including Quebec. <h3>Population Studied:</h3> A total of 93 respondents (including patients and providers) who completed an online survey and self-identified as living in Ontario or Quebec. <h3>Intervention/Instrument:</h3> An online survey with questions related to user satisfaction. <h3>Outcomes Measured:</h3> Patient/User experience. <h3>Results:</h3> A total of 93 respondents completed an online survey and self-identified as living in Ontario or Quebec. Overall, 57 of the respondents (61.3%) were “Very Satisfied” or “Somewhat Satisfied” with the map, 16 (17.2%) were “Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied,” and 20 (21.5%) were “Very Dissatisfied” or “Somewhat Dissatisfied.” We found no significant differences in satisfaction by preferred language, age group, physician attachment, or intended beneficiary. In addition, 56 respondents provided short-answer responses to an open-ended question about improvements to the map. The most common specific suggestion for improvement was to show which physicians are accepting new patients (n=20). <h3>Conclusion:</h3> While most users were satisfied with the online map, a significant minority expressed dissatisfaction that the map did not show which family physicians were currently accepting new patients. This suggests that there may be public interest in an accessible database of family physicians in Ontario who are accepting new patients.