Partnering on Appropriate Virtual Care

Collaborative activities

Partnering on Appropriate Virtual Care supported primary care practices, organizations and multidisciplinary teams from across Canada to work in partnership with the patients, families, caregivers and communities they supported to determine when and how virtual care should be used in their unique healthcare settings.

Through this program, participants:

• Gained QI skills and knowledge about appropriate virtual care.

• Built capacity to partner with patients and communities to determine when to use virtual care, based on patient needs and capabilities, their care requirements – including those in rural, remote or northern locations – and clinician capacity.

• Helped ensure appropriate access to virtual care for diverse populations, including rural and remote, First Nations, Inuit and Métis, and other underserved populations.

• Developed a functional framework for evaluating when and how virtual care could be used appropriately in their unique healthcare setting.

HEC supported 39 teams across 135 care sites and nine provinces between January 2023 and January 2024.

This initiative built on the Virtual Care Together design collaborative, delivered in partnership by HEC and Canada Health Infoway.

Outcomes and Impact

Participating Team Outcomes

• 85% reported achieving their project target towards improving patient/client experience of care

• 78% reported achieving their project target towards improving provider experience of care

• 73% reported achieving their project target towards increasing access to care

• 74% reported achieving their project target towards reducing avoidable ED visits

Team Member Outcomes

• 93% felt more knowledgeable about the appropriate use of virtual care in their organization

• 89% felt more prepared to partner with clinicians/providers

• 88% felt more prepared to partner with patients and people with lived experience

Patient Reach

• 21,236 patients were directly reached during the 12-month PAVC program; another 190,740 were expected to be reached in 2024 as more projects began implementation.

Patients reported feeling valued and empowered, receiving timely care that effectively met their needs, and satisfaction with their care experience.