SCOPE and FRAME: Context-Specific Tools for Virtual Care Service Delivery in Rural and Remote Communities

To develop and pilot test 2 context-specific digital tools-Standardized Community Overview for Planning and Evaluation (SCOPE) and Facility Review for Assessing Medical Environments (FRAME)-designed to support virtual care service delivery and health care planning in rural and remote communities.

This study used a participatory case study design informed by user-centered development principles to design and pilot the SCOPE and FRAME tools. Development involved collaborative workshops with clinicians, health care administrators, community partners, and a software development team. Publicly available data sources were combined with community-verified information to populate community-specific profiles. The tools were piloted in 3 communities in Saskatchewan, Canada-Stanley Mission, La Loche, and Whitecap Dakota Nation-from October 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025. During pilot implementation sessions, participants interacted with the prototype and qualitative feedback regarding functionality, usability, and practical utility was collected.

Participants reported that the SCOPE and FRAME tools supported health care planning and service coordination by providing centralized access to community-specific demographic, infrastructure, and logistical information. Users indicated that dynamic site management features enabled real-time updates to community profiles, allowing the tools to reflect evolving health care service availability. Data visualization dashboards, including interactive graphs and maps, were reported to support interpretation of health care trends and identification of service gaps. Clinicians also noted that the tools provided useful contextual information to support onboarding of virtual care clinicians and improve understanding of local care pathways.

Findings from the pilot implementation suggest that context-specific digital tools such as SCOPE and FRAME may support improved coordination, planning, and contextual awareness in virtual care delivery for rural and remote communities.