Hybrid health services, which combine in-person and virtual care, are emerging as an important tool to improve access to primary care in Ontario's rural areas. A new peer-reviewed study from the University of Ottawa, published in BMC Health Services Research, examined how these hybrid options are working in Renfrew County.
The research team led by Dr. Jonathan Fitzsimon focused on staff experiences at the Petawawa Centennial Family Health Centre and with Integrated Virtual Care (IVC) services. The study found that IVC played a significant role for residents who have difficulty accessing primary care because of physician shortages.
"In (large city)], if [patients] can't see you, they can go to the walk-in clinic next door. But it's not the case in rural settings," one physician explained. "Having this rewarding job that I can actually provide care to people who actually need care, and they can't access it properly."
Physicians reported a sense of purpose from serving underserved communities but also noted the importance of strong in-person support to manage increased administrative work that comes with hybrid programs. The program initially served about 1,500 patients who otherwise would not have had regular access to primary care; this number has grown since then.
"From a policy perspective, IVC is an innovative approach to address the challenge of recruiting physicians in more rural communities," wrote Dr. Fitzsimon and his co-authors Shawna Cronin (uOttawa), Kush Patel (uOttawa), and Antoine St-Amant (Institut du Savoir Montfort).
The Ontario government recently committed nearly $2 billion over four years with the goal of connecting residents with a publicly funded family doctor or primary care team.
"These findings, and future evaluation findings may be relevant when considering alternative physician compensation and employment models. In addition, considering the health human resource supply of IHPs, particularly Nurse Practitioners, is an important consideration for future potential expansion," the authors added.
