Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40591636›Full record

ArticlePloS one2025

The association between care modality and hospitalizations and emergency department visits for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions during and after the pandemic in Ontario, Canada.

Dorsa Mohammadrezaei, Rahim Moineddin, Jun John Wang, Javier Silva Valencia, Maria Carla Lapadula, Angela Ortigoza, Braden O'Neill, Jessica Gronsbell, Debra A Butt, Anthony Train and 2 more

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In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Dorsa MohammadrezaeiToronto Western Family Health Team, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-0001-0255
Rahim MoineddinDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-5506-084X
Jun John WangNorth York General Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Javier Silva ValenciaNorth York General Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Maria Carla LapadulaDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-5156-121X
Angela OrtigozaDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Braden O'NeillDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Jessica GronsbellDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Debra A ButtDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Anthony TrainNorth York General Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Andrea S GershonNorth York General Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Karen TuToronto Western Family Health Team, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-0883-4934

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic required a rapid transition to virtual care as a key strategy to maintain healthcare access while minimizing virus transmission risks. However, the impact of this shift on hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions (ACSCs) remains unclear. This study aims to assess the relationship between the modality of outpatient care for ACSCs and their outcomes in Ontario, Canada. In this population-based retrospective cohort study, we analyzed hospitalization and ED visit data for ACSCs, including diabetes, epilepsy, congestive heart failure, hypertension, and angina, during the pandemic (April 2020 to April 2023) and post-pandemic (May 2023 to August 2023) periods. Monthly trends in hospitalizations and ED visits were evaluated using Generalized Additive Models and Generalized Additive Mixed Models, accounting for the effects of virtual and in-person care within 30 days and 60 days preceding each event. Despite a notable decrease in virtual visits and a corresponding rise in in-person visits, overall hospitalizations and ED visits for ACSCs remained relatively stable. Our analysis found no significant association between care modality and changes in hospitalizations and ED visits, suggesting that virtual care, particularly during the early pandemic, effectively supported chronic disease management and contributed to the stability of acute care needs. In conclusion, virtual care proved to be a sustainable component of ACSC management during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, complementing in-person care.

Indexed as

Ambulatory CareCOVID-19Emergency Service, HospitalHospitalizationAdultAgedEmergency Room VisitsFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedOntarioPandemicsRetrospective StudiesSARS-CoV-2Telemedicine

Identifiers

PMID40591636
PMCPMC12212508

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.