ArticlePloS one2021
Changes to telehealth practices in primary care in New Brunswick (Canada): A comparative study pre and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Article in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers.
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Who cites it
33 citing papers in PubMed.
- Service continuity of community-based health and social care organisations in times of disaster and health emergencies: a mapping review.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Complexity of medical needs and primary care attachment shape patient experiences with episodic virtual primary care: a mixed methods study in two Canadian provinces.BMC primary care · 2026Article
- Article
- Viewpoints of Healthcare Professionals on Care Delivery Within the Frames of Old-Age Mental Telehealth Services Operating in Low-Resource Settings.Brain sciences · 2025Article
- Telemedicine Approaches for Patients with Cirrhosis, Including Vulnerable Populations: A Narrative Review.Canadian liver journal · 2025Review
- Global Evidence on the Sustainability of Telemedicine in Outpatient and Primary Care During the First 2 Years of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Scoping Review Using the Nonadoption, Abandonment, Scale-Up, Spread, and Sustainability (NASSS) Framework.Interactive journal of medical research · 2025Review
- Coupling coordination and regional health equity: an empirical study of economic, social, and healthcare systems in Zhejiang Province, China.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Article
- Exploration of primary care models and timely access to care in New Brunswick (Canada).BMC primary care · 2024Article
- Primary care team characteristics associated with video use: a retrospective national study at the Veterans Health Administration.BMC primary care · 2024Article
- Technology and Access to Healthcare with Different Scheduling Systems: A Scoping Review.Healthcare informatics research · 2024Article
- Implementation of Video-Based Care in Interdisciplinary Primary Care Settings at the Veterans Health Administration: Qualitative Study.JMIR formative research · 2024Article
- Family-centred care interventions for children with chronic conditions: A scoping review.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2024Article
- Telenursing contributions in Primary Health Care in the COVID-19 pandemic context: an integrative review.Revista brasileira de enfermagem · 2024Review
- Age and sex-related comparison of referral-based telemedicine service utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario: a retrospective analysis.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- Experiences with the quality of telemedical care in an offshore setting - a qualitative study.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- Telehealth's future in Australian primary health care: a qualitative study exploring lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic.BJGP open · 2023Article
- How do respondents of primary care surveys compare to typical users of primary care? A comparison of two surveys.BMC primary care · 2023Article
- Exploration of how primary care models influence job satisfaction among primary care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic in New Brunswick: a descriptive and comparative study.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- Mental health professionals and telehealth in a rural setting: a cross sectional survey.BMC health services research · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth technologies were used in the primary health care setting in New Brunswick as a means to continue providing care to patients while following public health guidelines. This study aimed to measure these changes and examine if they improved timely access to primary care. A secondary goal was to identify which telehealth technologies were deemed sustainable by primary care providers.
methodsThis was a comparative study on the use of telehealth technology before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Between April 2020 and November 2020, 114 active primary care providers (family physicians or nurse practitioners) responded to the online survey.
resultsThe findings illustrated an increase in the use of telehealth technologies. The use of phone consultations increased by 122%, from 43.9% pre-pandemic to 97.6% during the pandemic (p < 0.001). The use of virtual consultation (19.3% pre-pandemic vs. 41.2% during the pandemic, p < 0.001), emails and texts also increased during the pandemic. Whereas the more structural organizational tools (electronic medical charts and reservation systems) remained stable. However, those changes did not coincide with a significant improvement to timely access to care during the pandemic. Many participants (40.1%) wanted to keep phone consultations, and 21.9% of participants wanted to keep virtual consultations as part of their long-term practice.
interpretationThe observed increase in the use of telehealth technologies may be sustainable, but it has not significantly improved timely access to primary care in New Brunswick.
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