Living and working in rural healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study of rural family physicians' lived experiences.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has been pervasive in its impact on all aspects of Canadian society. Along with its pervasiveness, the disease provided unprecedented complexity to the Canadian healthcare infrastructure, eliciting varying responses from the afflicted healthcare systems in Canada. However, insights into the various parameters and complexities endured by Canadian rural physicians and rural healthcare institutions during the pandemic have been scarce. OBJECTIVE: This paper explores the conditions and complexity of living and working of Rural Family Physicians (RFPs) in rural healthcare in Canada during the pandemic. METHODS: Community-based participatory research was utilized as a collaborative and partnership approach, equitably engaged community members in all aspects of research, ranging from designing the research question to analyzing data. Participants of this study include RFPs with at least one year of experience working in rural Canada. Data were collected through telephone interviews and analyzed according to the six-phase guide for the data's inductive thematic analysis. Data collection halted upon saturation. RESULTS: Five significant compiled categories reflect the lived experiences of Rural Family Physicians. 1- virtual care as a challenge or forward progress; 2- canceling in-person visits and interrupting the routine; 3- shortage of health care providers and supporting staff; 4-ongoing coping process with the pandemic guidelines; 5-COVID-19 combat fatigue. DISCUSSION: The inception of COVID-19 has significantly impacted rural physicians across several interconnected issues. This study illuminates the lesser-known effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which heavily impacts rural healthcare.

Virtual Healthcare in Rural and Remote Settings: A Qualitative Study of Canadian Rural Family Physicians' Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to explore the experiences of rural family physicians using virtual healthcare in their clinical practice during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. DESIGN: A community-based participatory approach. SETTING: Rural and remote communities in Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Thirteen rural family physicians with at least one year of clinical experience. RESULTS: The data illustrate significant issues associated with virtual healthcare in rural healthcare. The adoption of virtual healthcare has been expressed to pose a harsh polarity; the benefit conferred to rural family physicians with the opportunity to have flexible working hours and work at home while interacting with family members is starkly contrasted with the struggles of insufficient financial support to facilitate setting up virtual healthcare for rural physicians, unreliable technological infrastructure, and inadequate technological resources, which are all exacerbated by the lack of adequate health literacy in rural communities. Results were compiled into five major categories underpinning the lived experiences of rural family physicians: 1-potential trade-off between convenience and quality of care; 2-work-family boundaries; 3-patient-doctor communication; 4-technology as barrier or enabler; 5-increased call duration. CONCLUSION: The differing trends assessed in the findings illustrate the complications faced in providing virtual healthcare, which resonates with the experiences and views of rural physicians. The findings of this study may guide the development of tailored technologies that adjust for the complexity of administering virtual healthcare in rural communities.