Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42343257›Full record

ArticleBMC primary care2026

Complexity of medical needs and primary care attachment shape patient experiences with episodic virtual primary care: a mixed methods study in two Canadian provinces.

Rebecca H Correia, Emran Hasan, François Gallant, Shelley Doucet, Tara Kiran, Lauren Lapointe-Shaw, A Luke MacNeill, Rachel Thelen, Stephanie Welton, Julie Easley and 3 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC primary care, 2026. 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

13 authors.

Rebecca H CorreiaDepartment of Family Medicine, Dalhousie University, 1465 Brenton Street, Suite 402, Halifax, NS, B3J 3T4, Canada.
Emran HasanDepartment of Family Medicine, Dalhousie University, 1465 Brenton Street, Suite 402, Halifax, NS, B3J 3T4, Canada.
François GallantDepartment of Family Medicine, Dalhousie University, 1465 Brenton Street, Suite 402, Halifax, NS, B3J 3T4, Canada.
Shelley DoucetCentre for Research in Integrated Care, University of New Brunswick, 355 Campus Ring Road, Saint John, NB, E2L 4L5, Canada.
Tara KiranDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, Temerty Faculty of Medicine and the Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto, 500 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1V7, Canada.
Lauren Lapointe-ShawDepartment of Medicine, University of Toronto, 6 Queens Park Crescent West, Toronto, ON, M5S 3H2, Canada.
A Luke MacNeillCentre for Research in Integrated Care, University of New Brunswick, 355 Campus Ring Road, Saint John, NB, E2L 4L5, Canada.
Rachel ThelenTelfer School of Management, University of Ottawa, 55 Laurier Avenue East, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada.
Stephanie WeltonDepartment of Family Medicine (South West Nova Site), Dalhousie University, 60 Vancouver Street, Yarmouth, NS, B5A 2P5, Canada.
Julie EasleyDepartment of Family Medicine, Dalhousie University, 1465 Brenton Street, Suite 402, Halifax, NS, B3J 3T4, Canada.
Agnes GrudniewiczTelfer School of Management, University of Ottawa, 55 Laurier Avenue East, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada.
Lindsay HeddenFaculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada.
M Ruth LavergneDepartment of Family Medicine, Dalhousie University, 1465 Brenton Street, Suite 402, Halifax, NS, B3J 3T4, Canada. ruth.lavergne@dal.ca.

Funding

CIHR PJT-191772
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEpisodic virtual care (EVC) offers patients rapid access to virtual primary care services but lacks relational continuity with a primary care clinician or team. We investigated patients' experiences with EVC and examined differences based on access to a regular primary care clinician and self-reported complexity of medical needs.

methodsIn this convergent parallel mixed methods study, we conducted a descriptive and exploratory survey of EVC users' health service access, self-reported medical needs, EVC use, and demographics. Participants included adults (aged ≥ 18) living in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick who self-reported using EVC in the past year. We used descriptive statistics to summarize numeric and ordinal data of patient experience and stratified findings by having a regular primary care clinician and medical complexity. We conducted inductive content analysis of free-text survey responses. We integrated quantitative and qualitative data at the interpretation phase.

resultsWe identified mixed experiences among EVC users, with quantitative data portraying virtual care experiences more favourably than free-text responses. Most users felt EVC met their health needs, although those without a regular primary care clinician and with greater medical complexity tended to rate experiences less favourably. In free-text responses, some participants expressed concerns with the technological aspects of virtual visits and voiced preferences for in-person care. Patients with a regular primary care clinician tended to access EVC for short-term health concerns, whereas those without a regular primary care clinician sought care for ongoing/chronic problems and prescription renewals.

conclusionsEVC is helping to address some gaps in access, particularly for patients without a regular primary care clinician, by providing care where there might otherwise be none. However, EVC often falls short of meeting ongoing and more comprehensive care needs, underscoring the importance of improving access to longitudinal primary care.

Indexed as

Health Services Needs and DemandPatient SatisfactionPrimary Health CareTelemedicineAccess to Primary CareAdultAgedDigital HealthFemaleHealth Services AccessibilityHumansMaleMiddle AgedNew BrunswickNova ScotiaSurveys and QuestionnairesDigital healthEpisodic virtual careFamilyNurse practitionersPatient experiencePhysiciansPrimary health careTelemedicineVirtual primary care

Identifiers

PMID42343257
PMCPMC13551714

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.