ArticleJMIR formative research2022
Virtual Care Prior to and During COVID-19: Cross-sectional Survey of Rural and Urban Adults.
Article in JMIR formative research, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 19 citations in OpenAlex.
- Video-Based Educational Interventions for Patients With Chronic Illnesses: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Pooled it
- Rural Veteran Perceptions of a Virtual Health Resource Center in a Community-Based Setting.Journal of general internal medicine · 2026Article
- Socioculturally Appropriate Internet-Based Geriatric Care Model for Older Adults Living With HIV: Experience-Based Co-Design Approach.JMIR aging · 2025Article
- Barriers and Facilitators Associated With Remote Concussion Physical Assessments From the Perspectives of Clinicians and People Living With Workplace Concussions: Focus Group Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- Black veteran use of video telehealth for mental health care.Psychological services · 2024Article
- Adoption and Sustained Use of Primary Care Video Visits Among Veterans with VA Video-Enabled Tablets.Journal of medical systems · 2024Article
- Systemic effects of the COVID pandemic on rural black American men's interpersonal relationships: A phenomenological examination.PloS one · 2024Article
- A cross-sectional study of the preventive health care activities of western Canadian rural-living patients unattached to primary care providers.Preventive medicine reports · 2022Article
- Rural Residence Is Associated With Telephone Care Satisfaction Among Individuals With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Cross-Sectional Study From Saskatchewan, Canada.Inquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financingArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTo reduce person-to-person contact, the COVID-19 pandemic has driven a massive shift to virtual care. Defined as the use of technology (synchronous or asynchronous) to support communication between health care providers and patients, rural-urban differences in virtual care are relatively unexplored.
objectiveThe 2-fold purpose of this study was to examine rural and urban virtual care access, use, and satisfaction during the pandemic and to identify any unmet needs.
methodsThis study was a cross-sectional online survey exploring virtual care among rural and urban adults in summer 2021 using a combination of fixed and open-ended response options. Quantitative data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics, and qualitative data were analyzed using inductive thematic content analysis.
resultsOverall, 501 (373, 74.4% female; age range 19-86 years; 237, 47.3% rural-living) Western Canadians completed the survey. Virtual care use was high among both rural (171/237, 72.2%) and urban (188/264, 71.2%) participants, with over one-half (279/501, 55.7%) reporting having only started to use virtual care since the pandemic. The self-reported need for mental health programs and services increased during the pandemic, compared with prior for both rural and urban participants. Among virtual care users, interest in its continuation was high. Our analysis also shows that internet quality (all P<.05) and eHealth literacy (all P<.001) were positively associated with participants' perceptions of virtual care usefulness, ease of use, and satisfaction, with no rural-urban differences. Rural participants were less likely to have used video in communicating with doctors or health care providers, compared with urban participants (P<.001). When describing unmet needs, participants described a (1) lack of access to care, (2) limited health promotion and prevention options, and (3) lack of mental health service options.
conclusionsThe increased demand for and use of virtual care may reflect increased availability and a lack of alternatives due to limited in-person services during the COVID-19 pandemic, so a balance between virtual care and in-person care is important to consider postpandemic. Further, ensuring availability of high-speed internet and education to support patients will be important for providing accessible and effective virtual care, especially for rural residents.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.