Building Patient Capabilities for Using Virtual Care: A Document Analysis of Patient Support Resources and Guidance

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Health Services Research
• Patient Engagement

Background:

• Virtual care integration into healthcare delivery necessitates understanding patient needs for safe and equitable access.
• Existing guidance and support resources are crucial for defining patient capabilities in virtual care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify patient capabilities for virtual care engagement by analyzing existing guidance and support resources.
• To understand the scope and limitations of current resources in defining these capabilities.

Main Methods:

• Document analysis of patient-focused resources from Australia and New Zealand.
• Comprehensive literature search across government, healthcare, and consumer organization websites.
• Thematic framework analysis to synthesize identified capabilities.

Main Results:

• Three overarching capability themes were identified: Technology and Infrastructure, Literacy and Advocacy, and Service Engagement.
• Nine sub-themes emerged within these overarching categories.
• Most resources prioritized technology and task-based engagement, with limited focus on equity, safety, privacy, and support for priority populations.

Conclusions:

• Essential patient capabilities for virtual care engagement have been identified, alongside significant gaps in current guidance.
• There is a need for greater attention to equity, advocacy, safety, privacy, and support for diverse patient groups in virtual care resources.
• Future research should explore real-world enactment of these capabilities and diverse patient perspectives to inform inclusive virtual care design.