Virtual Visits With Own Family Physician vs Outside Family Physician and Emergency Department Use.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Virtual visits became more common after the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is unclear in what context they are best used.

Objective

To investigate whether there was a difference in subsequent emergency department use between patients who had a virtual visit with their own family physician vs those who had virtual visits with an outside physician.

Design, setting, and participants

This propensity score-matched cohort study was conducted among all Ontario residents attached to a family physician as of April 1, 2021, who had a virtual family physician visit in the subsequent year (to March 31, 2022).

Exposure

The type of virtual family physician visit, with own or outside physician, was determined. In a secondary analysis, own physician visits were compared

SUBMITTER: Lapointe-Shaw L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10753397 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature