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

Canadian medical education journal Pub Date : 2026-04-28 eCollection Date: 2026-04-01 DOI:10.36834/cmej.81983

Udoka Okpalauwaekwe, Cathy MacLean, Angela Baerwald

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Abstract

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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虚拟初级保健的实施：家庭医学住院医师经验的比较研究。

背景：在2019冠状病毒病大流行期间，虚拟医疗（VC）被迅速采用，以确保初级保健的连续性。在本研究中，我们探讨了萨斯喀彻温省家庭医学（FM）居民在早期（2020年）、晚期（2022年）和大流行后（2024年）阶段对VC的演变经历，重点关注满意度、准备、监督以及对培训和福祉的感知影响。方法：使用标准化工具在三个时间点对八个分布站点的FM居民进行调查。采用卡方检验、Kruskal-Wallis检验和事后Mann-Whitney U检验对反应进行分析（p < 0.05）。结果：78名居民参与调查（2020年：n = 26； 2022年：n = 19； 2024年：n = 33）。对VC的满意度随着时间的推移而下降（p = 0.074），而对额外VC培训的要求没有变化（p = 0.269）。尽管有持续和适度的监管，但住院后使用VC的信心从100%（2020年）显著下降到60.6%（2024年；p < 0.001）。2019冠状病毒病对培训的负面影响到2024年有所下降（p = 0.008），对省级应对COVID-19大流行的信任度也有所下降（p < 0.0001）。结论：尽管FM居民在大流行期间适应了VC，但长期持续使用VC需要改进培训、结构化监督和课程整合。在不断发展的初级保健领域，将风险投资能力融入研究生教育对于支持混合护理模式至关重要。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Canadian medical education journal

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0.00%

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审稿时长

18 weeks