Citizen Brief - Virtual Access to Primary Care - PATIENT VOICES NETWORK

5 Background What is the New Brunswick Health Council (NBHC)? The New Brunswick Health Council (NBHC) has a dual mandate: engage citizens in a meaningful dialogue about the improvement of the quality of health services in the province; and measure, monitor and report publicly on the quality of health services and population health. [...] › The topics explored included accessibility to primary care provided virtually; the effectiveness of virtual primary care consultations; and lived experiences in the area of virtual care. [...] › The topics explored included the equity of virtual access to primary care; the use of health care resources; and safety issues related to virtual care. [...] A lot of them are elderly so it’s physically quite difficult for them to get to the clinic, so the amount of care I was able to provide over the phone or video to patients who otherwise would not have been able to access care at all was huge.” 24 When it comes to equity, various health care professionals noted that virtual care is not equitable because not everyone has access to the internet and/o. [...] › Be able to gauge the service’s success/What is its impact? 32 Participants’ suggestions for improving virtual access to primary care Better promotion of virtual care options For many people we met with, the lack of promotion of the virtual care options seems to be a key issue in terms of accessibility.