(Dreamstime)

By David Opinko

Virtual healthcare more becoming popular during pandemic

Feb 10, 2021 | 11:13 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The COVID-19 pandemic has, for better or for worse, impacted the ways Canadians approach many aspects of life – healthcare included.

That was one of the key findings of a study conducted by Abacus Data for the Canadian Medical Association.

They polled 1,800 Canadians in May 2020. While the pandemic has likely continued to change peoples’ perceptions since then, it gives a perspective of where they were a couple of months into the global health crisis.

Normally, an overwhelming majority said, if they had an illness or medical condition, they would access care in-person.

61 per cent would go in-person to a doctor’s office, 31 per cent would go to a clinic, and 16 per cent would attend an emergency room.

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Conversely, only 12 per cent would normally speak to a medical professional over the phone, four per cent would use telehealth, and an equal two per cent would utilize virtual service, text/email, or videoconference.

It should be noted that these numbers exceed 100 per cent because a person might consider using multiple different options.

The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic has certainly changed the perceptions of some.

Now, the most popular choice is to speak to someone over the phone at 34 per cent, an increase of 22 per cent since the pandemic started.

The most significant decline was for going in-person to a doctor’s office, which fell to just 10 per cent. Only six per cent said they would attend a clinic while five per cent would go in-person to the emergency room if they did not have a family doctor.

The other “virtual” healthcare options saw slight increases as well.

The study noted similar changes in attitudes among participants who lived in urban versus rural settings, as well as between men and women, and for those under and over the age of 45.

For Albertans specifically, the number who would go to a doctor’s office fell by 50 per cent. On the other hand, an additional 28 per cent said they would prefer to speak to someone over the phone.

In the future, once COVID-19 is a thing of the past, 62 per cent said they would prefer their first contact to be in-person while 38 per cent would use some form of virtual service.

The full report can be accessed here.