Implementation of virtual primary care: a comparative study of family medicine residents’ experiences

Udoka Okpalauwaekwe; Cathy MacLean; Angela Baerwald

doi:10.36834/cmej.81983

Auteurs-es

Udoka Okpalauwaekwe University of Saskatchewan
Cathy MacLean University of Saskatchewan
Angela Baerwald University of Saskatchewan

DOI :

https://doi.org/10.36834/cmej.81983

Résumé

Background: Virtual care (VC) was rapidly adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure continuity of primary care. In this study, we explored Family Medicine (FM) residents’ evolving experiences with VC across early (2020), late (2022), and post-pandemic (2024) phases in Saskatchewan, focusing on satisfaction, preparedness, supervision, and perceived impact on training and well-being.

Methods: FM residents across eight distributed sites were surveyed at three time points using a standardized tool. Responses were analyzed using chi-square, Kruskal-Wallis, and post hoc Mann-Whitney U tests (p < 0.05).

Results: Seventy-eight residents participated (2020: n = 26; 2022: n = 19; 2024: n = 33). Satisfaction with VC tended to decline over time (p = 0.074), while requests for additional VC training did not change (p = 0.269). Confidence to use VC post-residency dropped significantly from 100% (2020) to 60.6% (2024; p < 0.001), despite a consistent and moderate amount of supervision. The negative impact of COVID-19 on training declined by 2024 (p = 0.008), while trust in the provincial response to the COVID-19 pandemic also decreased (p < 0.0001).

Conclusions: Although FM residents adapted to VC during the pandemic, long-term sustainability to use VC requires improved training, structured supervision, and curricular integration. Embedding VC competencies into postgraduate education is essential to support hybrid models of care in the evolving primary care landscape.

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Bibliographies de l'auteur-e

Udoka Okpalauwaekwe, University of Saskatchewan

Dr. Udoka Okpalauwaekwe is a Primary Care Researcher and currently serves as a Research Officer in the Department of Academic Family Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. He holds a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from the University of Nigeria, as well as a Master of Public Health (MPH) and a PhD in Health Sciences (Primary Care/Family Medicine) from the University of Saskatchewan. He also completed a Primary Care Research Fellowship at Western University in Ontario. Udoka’s research interests focuses on primary health care, primary care, health systems strengthening, disease prevention, and wellness promotion, particularly in underserved and Indigenous communities, using participatory and collaborative methodologies.

Cathy MacLean, University of Saskatchewan

Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Director, Faculty Development; College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7M 3Y5, Canada

Angela Baerwald, University of Saskatchewan

Associate Professor and Director, Women’s Health Research Laboratory, Department of Academic Family Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.

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