There is growing interest in Canada for increased virtual care provision to improve patient access to quality care, and while the utilization of virtual care services for children has increased substantially in recent years, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, an evaluation of this modality of care for children in Ontario has been lacking. In partnership with Empower Kids Ontario, our team led an external evaluation of virtual care focused on the processes and outcomes of a variety of virtual care services provided to children and families by organizations across the province. The results of this evaluation address a key knowledge gap in our understanding of the provision of virtual care services for children and their families in the province of Ontario. This evaluation was informed by the Quintuple Aim Framework which focuses on five domains: Population Health, User Experience, Provider Experience, Cost and Equity.

Data collected from these groups will allow for interpretation of the status of virtual care services that are presently offered to children in Ontario and will importantly identify potential ways to enhance both virtual program and service delivery, and explore the impact of current virtual care provision in the province.

Dr. Elyse Rosa, Research Associate, McMaster University Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, Offord Centre for Child Studies
Natalie Easson - Research Assistant, McMaster University Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, Offord Centre for Child Studies
Dr. Patrick McPhee, Health Research Methodologist, McMaster University Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, Offord Centre for Child Studies
Dr. Stelios Georgiades, Principal Investigator, Associate Professor, McMaster University Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, Offord Centre for Child Studies