The Virtual Care Together design collaborative brought together 25 teams from nine provinces and one territory to test and refine tools and practices that support safe, high-quality virtual care. The work of these teams is presented as case studies in the Clinician Change Virtual Care Toolkit.
Care providers who participated in the collaborative include physicians, nurses, social workers, psychologists, physiotherapists and other providers, with experience in various settings including primary care, chronic disease prevention/management and health promotion, mental health and addictions, rehabilitation care, cancer care, health equity (e.g., groups in vulnerable settings), specialty care and emergency care.
The teams represented urban, rural and remote settings and served diverse groups, including vulnerable populations, older adults, Indigenous communities and newcomers to Canada.
The following teams participated in the Virtual Care Together design collaborative:
Alberta:
British Columbia:
Manitoba:
New Brunswick:
Newfoundland and Labrador:
Northwest Territories:
Nova Scotia:
Ontario:
Prince Edward Island:
Saskatchewan:
National:
Read what participating teams had to say about their experience participating in the design collaborative:
“Our clinic was not utilizing virtual care to its full capacity. I was well aware of the benefits video virtual care had to offer, but the thought of reigniting virtual zoom care as part of our routine practice was daunting to me. Being part of the Virtual Care Together design collaborative gave me the time I needed to re-build my competence with virtual video care and revive my excitement for this area of practice.”
Nova Scotia Health, Primary Health Care and Chronic Disease Management, Diabetes Centres, Kings, Annapolis, Yarmouth, Digby and Shelburne Counties
“Being part of the Virtual Care Together design collaborative provided the opportunity to discuss health equity impacts, where being connected and having digital skills can have a significant effect in access to care and health outcomes.”
NorWest Community Health Centres, Thunder Bay
“The tools, presentations, and support provided through the Virtual Care Together design collaborative have been foundational in developing service models that improve both the experience and efficacy of virtual health care in our region.”
Western Health, Newfoundland and Labrador
“... [W]e have appreciated the opportunity to learn about the work of other teams - this is both inspiring and a helpful view of innovative approaches to improvement. And the examples shared, even when the context is strikingly different from ours, support our teams to think differently about change ideas. Thank you!”
Department of Family and Community Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto