Experiences Receiving and Delivering Virtual Health Care For Women: Qualitative Evidence Synthesis

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Digital Health
• Health Equity

Background:

• Persistent sex and gender disparities limit access to quality, personalized healthcare for women in the US.
• Virtual resources present an opportunity to expand equitable healthcare access for women.
• Optimal strategies for individualized, virtually delivered women's healthcare remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze literature on women's and healthcare teams' reported successes and challenges with synchronous virtual healthcare access and delivery.
• To identify key factors influencing the adoption and effectiveness of virtual care for women.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative evidence synthesis using the Nonadoption, Abandonment, Scale-up, Spread, and Sustainability (NASSS) framework and Public Health Critical Race Praxis.
• Searched MEDLINE, Embase, and CINAHL (2010-2022, updated 2024) for qualitative studies on synchronous virtual care for women.
• Iterative thematic synthesis to identify descriptive themes on successes and challenges in virtual care delivery.

Main Results:

• Identified themes across NASSS domains, including challenges in virtual rapport building and amplified barriers for women with pre-existing challenges.
• High-confidence themes include convenience, cost savings, patient choice, potential impact on well-being, and technology usability.
• Virtual care is valuable for women in regions with limited clinical access.

Conclusions:

• Virtual care benefits may be more pronounced for women, especially those with existing challenges.
• Strategic incorporation of virtual modalities can improve equitable, high-quality, patient-centered care for women.