Virtual Urgent Care Initiative Did Little to Divert Patients From Emergency Room During COVID-19 Pandemic

Drug Topics November 8, 2023
Briana Contreras

Despite its aim to reduce in-person visits, a virtual urgent care (VUC) program in Ontario, Canada found that patients seen by a VUC provider with no further referral were more likely to visit the emergency room than those who came directly to the department.

A recent study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal revealed that virtual urgent care (VUC) had minimal impact on emergency department visits or hospital admissions in Ontario, Canada, during the COVID-19 pandemic.¹ However, a significant number of study participants who initially sought virtual urgent care eventually attended an emergency department in person.

Virtual urgent care’s purpose is to assist in redirecting folks with minor health concerns away from in-person emergency department visits to decrease high...

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