Table 5.

Virtual Care Model Theme and Supporting Quotes

Theme	Quotes
Virtual versus in-person care	Manitoba chief nursing officer, “the move to virtual care isn't intended to replace in-person care, and those who need urgent attention are urged to seek it” (The Winnipeg Sun, April 28)
	Calgary-based clinic CEO, “virtual care has been able to come in and replace a large majority of in-person, face-to-face medical appointments” (Calgary Herald, April 4)
Improved access to care	Calgary clinic INLIV, “(We) offer telemedicine [through a company called Wello] to those who don't have easy physical access to health care – such as Canadians who live or work in remote rural conditions, university students studying far from home and truck drivers on the road.” (The Calgary Sun, April 4)
	Manitoba clinic executive director, “The benefits to mobility-restricted patients or (their) middle-aged children who would normally need to take time off to bring an elderly parent to the doctor's office are pretty obvious.” (Winnipeg Free Press, March 29).
Time	Patient, “There's no travel…There's more time to discuss with (the doctor) and my wife can sit comfortably on the couch taking detailed notes.” (The Spectator, April 6)
Gathering data	ON psychiatrist (re: video), “allows her to see people in their own environment and gives … insight into how they're functioning at home.” (The Globe and Mail, March 21)
	BC physician (re: blue-tooth-based stethoscopes/otoscopes), “you can listen to the heart and lungs, or see an ear drum in high definition” (The Vancouver Sun, February 27)
	Physician, “I do not see myself initiating video conferencing because of the strict criteria for ensuring patient confidentiality by the CPSA (College of Physicians and Surgeons Alberta).” (The Medicine Hat News, March 25)
	Reporter, “Its [company] terms and conditions state: ‘We may share your personal data with members of our corporate group and our partners’ and ‘personal data may be accessible by foreign government agencies under applicable law.’ The app records your consultations with doctors. This means that patient data will likely cross provincial and even national borders, where Alberta (AB) and federal privacy laws may not apply.” (Edmonton Journal, March 26)
Technology needs	Ontario physician, “(most of my patients) are in their 70s and 80s. Many don't have smartphones, email addresses or computers.” (Waterloo Region Record, March 12).
Continuity of care	Alberta physician, “physicians from my clinic have called Telus and were told they cannot see their own patients through this platform… We want to be able to see our own patients in our own critically underserved rural community where we know our local resources. (The South Peace News, March 25)
	Ottawa physician, “as visits become less frequent and more impersonal with the use of ‘virtual care’ there is a greater risk of worsening of chronic conditions… Some patients may ‘fall through the cracks’.” (The Winnipeg Sun, March 30)
	Ontario physician, “Many people rarely see their family doctors, saying they are “just too far away.” Consequently, they receive fragmented care… Instead of “losing touch” with patients, virtual care offers physicians a chance to reclaim the continuity of care that leads to really “knowing one's patients.” (The Globe and Mail, August 8)