ArticleCMAJ open
Integration of virtual physician visits into a provincial 8-1-1 health information telephone service during the COVID-19 pandemic: a descriptive study of HealthLink BC Emergency iDoctor-in-assistance (HEiDi).
Article in CMAJ open. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed.
- Changes in emergency and primary care use after adding virtual physicians to HealthLink BC's 8-1-1 program.NPJ digital medicine · 2025Article
- Article
- Real-Time Virtual Support: a network of virtual care for rural, remote, First Nations, and pan-provincial communities in British Columbia.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2025Article
- Uses of Virtual Care in Primary Care: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Unbiased care, unequal outcomes: a nursing telehealth intervention reveals systematic inequities in COVID-19 care delivery.BMC nursing · 2024Article
- Descriptive analysis and evaluation of Health Link referrals to the emergency department before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.Internal and emergency medicine · 2024Article
- Digitisation of emergency medicine: opportunities, examples and issues for consideration.Singapore medical journal · 2024Article
- Solutions for patients visiting the emergency department with non-emergent issues: results from a deliberative public policy analysis process.Internal and emergency medicine · 2024Article
- Article
- The Implementation of a Virtual Emergency Department: Multimethods Study Guided by the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance) Framework.JMIR formative research · 2023Article
- Critical evaluation of novel health system interventions is essential.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2023Article
- A Global Survey of Emergency Care Clinical Networks: Discussion and Implications for Canadian Learning Health Systems.Healthcare policy = Politiques de sante · 2023Article
- Concordance between 8-1-1 HealthLink BC Emergency iDoctor-in-assistance (HEiDi) virtual physician advice and subsequent health service utilization for callers to a nurse-managed provincial health information telephone service.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- Real-time virtual supports improving health equity and access in British Columbia.Healthcare management forum · 2023Article
- Videoconferencing for Large Animal Trauma Experiments During COVID-19: A Cross-Continent Experience.Military medicine · 2023Article
- Article
- Age-varying effects of repeated emergency department presentations for children in Canada.Journal of health services research & policy · 2022Article
- Article
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundBritish Columbia, like many jurisdictions, has a health information telephone service (8-1-1) to provide callers with information by registered nurses and help them decide whether to attend an emergency department or primary care clinic, or manage their concern at home. We describe a new service, HealthLink BC Emergency iDoctor-in-assistance (HEiDi), that partnered physicians available by videoconferencing with 8-1-1 registered nurses to support callers.
methodsFrom Apr. 6 to Aug. 2, 2020, all callers to the 8-1-1 telephone service (available to anyone in BC) categorized as "seek care within 24 hours" by registered nurses were eligible for referral to HEiDi. HEiDi physicians ("virtual physicians") connected directly with callers via desktop videoconferencing software, assessed their health complaint, provided advice and suggested care disposition. We conducted a descriptive study and collected demographic characteristics, health concern and disposition determined by the virtual physician.
resultsHEiDi virtual physicians provided 7687 consultations. Most patients (
interpretationWe found that virtual physicians were able to advise nearly 3 out of 4 (72.1%) patients away from in-person emergency or clinic assessment and 1 in 7 (15.0%) to seek immediate emergency department care. Virtual physicians can provide an effective complement to a provincial health telephone system.
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