Canadians like virtual access to their physician so much, they would like to see the service continue even when the pandemic ends.
A poll of Canadians by Abacus Data for The Canadian Medical Association found 91 per cent were satisfied with their virtual visit. And half of those would prefer a virtual first point of contact with their doctor in the future. It was conducted between May 14-17, 2020. It found that almost half of all Canadians have now accessed a physician using virtual care options.
Those who connected with their doctor virtually during COVID-19 report a 91 per cent satisfaction rate – 17 points higher than in-person emergency room visits. Moving forward, almost half (46 per cent) of Canadians who had the opportunity to use virtual care since the pandemic outbreak would prefer a virtual method as the first point of contact with their doctor. They would like to see virtual visits not only continued after the COVID-19 crisis subsides but improved and expanded in the future.
"Physical distancing measures designed to keep Canadians safe during our fight against COVID-19 have led to the adoption of virtual care out of necessity," says Dr. Sandy Buchman, CMA President. "The train has left the station now that Canadians have had the opportunity to access virtual care, and they've had an overwhelmingly positive experience when they did so. We need to build on this momentum. Canadians should be able to access healthcare in a timely and convenient fashion."
The poll also highlighted that half of Canadians believe virtual care could impact the cost of our health care system, improve access to specialists (45 per cent), and timeliness of test results (41 per cent).
Earlier this year, a CMA-led task force issued a report outlining recommendations on how the federal government and stakeholders can improve and expand virtual care throughout Canada.
"What's needed now is for the Federal government to facilitate a pan-Canadian framework for virtual care, with provinces and territories playing a key role in how virtual care is improved and expanded," says Virtual Care Task Force Co-Chair and CMA Past President Dr. Gigi Osler. "All Canadians – from urban to rural, remote, and Indigenous communities – can benefit from more choice and convenience when it comes to how health care is accessed and delivered."
More information related to the Virtual Care Task Force and public opinion research can be found online at https://www.cma.ca/virtual-care.
