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

As virtual care becomes embedded in healthcare delivery, understanding the capabilities patients need to engage with these services is critical to safe, equitable access. This study aimed to identify patient capabilities for virtual care engagement described in existing guidance and support resources. Document analysis was used to examine patient-focused documents from Australia and New Zealand. A comprehensive search was conducted across the websites of 83 government departments, healthcare agencies, private healthcare organisations, and consumer organisations. Thematic framework analysis was applied to synthesise the findings. Three overarching capability themes with nine sub themes were identified: (1) Technology and Infrastructure (2) Literacy and Advocacy and (3) Service Engagement capabilities. Most documents prioritised technology and task-based engagement with limited attention to equity, advocacy, safety, privacy and support for priority groups. Findings highlight essential patient capabilities for virtual care and reveal important gaps. However, this study was limited to publicly available documents from two countries and may not fully capture informal or practice-based support available for virtual care use. Future research should examine how these capabilities are enacted in real-world settings and explore patient perspectives across diverse populations to inform more inclusive and equitable virtual care design.