Evaluating Patient Experience with Integrated Virtual Care (IVC), a Hybrid Primary Care Model in Rural Ontario, Canada: A Cross-Sectional Survey
Introduction: Canada faces a primary care crisis, especially in rural regions. In Ontario, the innovative, Integrated Virtual Care (IVC) program is a hybrid care model that enrolls patients with a family physician working predominantly remotely, while also embedded in a local Family Health Team, ble...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of Primary Care & Community Health |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319251345741 |
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| author | Samantha Buchanan Shawna Cronin Antoine St-Amant Jonathan Fitzsimon |
| author_facet | Samantha Buchanan Shawna Cronin Antoine St-Amant Jonathan Fitzsimon |
| author_sort | Samantha Buchanan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction: Canada faces a primary care crisis, especially in rural regions. In Ontario, the innovative, Integrated Virtual Care (IVC) program is a hybrid care model that enrolls patients with a family physician working predominantly remotely, while also embedded in a local Family Health Team, blending virtual and in-person care. Objective: To evaluate the experience of patients enrolled in IVC. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey in a rural region in eastern Ontario, Canada. Participants included individuals enrolled in IVC for a minimum of 6 months. Primary outcome measures focused on patient experience with IVC, including satisfaction, access, self-reported health, and healthcare utilization. We also examined representativeness of survey respondents. Results: 198 of 790 patients responded (response rate of 25.1%). Overall satisfaction was high, with 85% reporting being very satisfied or satisfied with IVC. Experiencing issues with virtual care was significantly associated with satisfaction. Survey respondents were generally older, Caucasian, and higher users of the healthcare system compared to a group of all those eligible to complete the survey. Conclusion: This study indicates high patient satisfaction with IVC among survey respondents. These insights can inform the expansion of innovative hybrid care models to meet the needs of underserved, rural populations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a2c4ea45fdf945938819251115519a3c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2150-1327 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Primary Care & Community Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-a2c4ea45fdf945938819251115519a3c2025-08-20T03:29:15ZengSAGE PublishingJournal of Primary Care & Community Health2150-13272025-06-011610.1177/21501319251345741Evaluating Patient Experience with Integrated Virtual Care (IVC), a Hybrid Primary Care Model in Rural Ontario, Canada: A Cross-Sectional SurveySamantha Buchanan0Shawna Cronin1Antoine St-Amant2Jonathan Fitzsimon3Department of Family Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaDepartment of Family Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaInstitut du Savoir Montfort, Ottawa, ON, CanadaInstitut du Savoir Montfort, Ottawa, ON, CanadaIntroduction: Canada faces a primary care crisis, especially in rural regions. In Ontario, the innovative, Integrated Virtual Care (IVC) program is a hybrid care model that enrolls patients with a family physician working predominantly remotely, while also embedded in a local Family Health Team, blending virtual and in-person care. Objective: To evaluate the experience of patients enrolled in IVC. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey in a rural region in eastern Ontario, Canada. Participants included individuals enrolled in IVC for a minimum of 6 months. Primary outcome measures focused on patient experience with IVC, including satisfaction, access, self-reported health, and healthcare utilization. We also examined representativeness of survey respondents. Results: 198 of 790 patients responded (response rate of 25.1%). Overall satisfaction was high, with 85% reporting being very satisfied or satisfied with IVC. Experiencing issues with virtual care was significantly associated with satisfaction. Survey respondents were generally older, Caucasian, and higher users of the healthcare system compared to a group of all those eligible to complete the survey. Conclusion: This study indicates high patient satisfaction with IVC among survey respondents. These insights can inform the expansion of innovative hybrid care models to meet the needs of underserved, rural populations.https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319251345741 |
| spellingShingle | Samantha Buchanan Shawna Cronin Antoine St-Amant Jonathan Fitzsimon Evaluating Patient Experience with Integrated Virtual Care (IVC), a Hybrid Primary Care Model in Rural Ontario, Canada: A Cross-Sectional Survey Journal of Primary Care & Community Health |
| title | Evaluating Patient Experience with Integrated Virtual Care (IVC), a Hybrid Primary Care Model in Rural Ontario, Canada: A Cross-Sectional Survey |
| title_full | Evaluating Patient Experience with Integrated Virtual Care (IVC), a Hybrid Primary Care Model in Rural Ontario, Canada: A Cross-Sectional Survey |
| title_fullStr | Evaluating Patient Experience with Integrated Virtual Care (IVC), a Hybrid Primary Care Model in Rural Ontario, Canada: A Cross-Sectional Survey |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluating Patient Experience with Integrated Virtual Care (IVC), a Hybrid Primary Care Model in Rural Ontario, Canada: A Cross-Sectional Survey |
| title_short | Evaluating Patient Experience with Integrated Virtual Care (IVC), a Hybrid Primary Care Model in Rural Ontario, Canada: A Cross-Sectional Survey |
| title_sort | evaluating patient experience with integrated virtual care ivc a hybrid primary care model in rural ontario canada a cross sectional survey |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319251345741 |
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