Enhancing health care access in rural and remote communities: An environmental scan of virtual health innovations in British Columbia

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dc.contributor.authorMartin, Brian
dc.contributor.authorJames, Alison
dc.contributor.authorMitchell, Cheryl
dc.contributor.authorOekle, Nelly
dc.contributor.authorSingh, Anurag
dc.contributor.authorHoekstra, Femke
dc.date.accessioned2026-06-26T20:38:29Z
dc.date.available2026-06-26T20:38:29Z
dc.date.issued2025
dc.description.abstractAligning with British Columbia (BC)’s Ministry of Health mandate, virtual health innovations have the potential to reduce health inequities and improve health care services in rural and remote communities. Understanding the current state of the implementation of virtual health innovations in rural and remote communities can inform future research, implementation, and policy priorities. We conducted an environmental scan and identified 70 unique virtual health innovations implemented in BC’s rural and remote communities in the past 10 years. An example of an innovation supported by the Ministry of Health is the Real Time Virtual Support pathways, which have been implemented across the province to assist rural health professionals in emergency, pediatric, maternity, and newborn care. While a variety of initiatives are being implemented across different regions, they often operate in isolation. Building on previous successes and our own reflections, this paper highlights the need to enhance partnerships and strengthen relationships among policy-makers, health authorities, researchers, industry partners, and communities. This underscores the need for more integrated and collaborative efforts to transform and improve health care services and access in rural and remote areas. The findings of the SWOT analyses can be used to inform future research, implementation, and policy priorities and related activities.
dc.description.reviewstatusReviewed
dc.description.scholarlevelFaculty
dc.identifier.citationMartin, B., James, A., Mitchell, C., Oelke, N. D., Singh, A., & Hoekstra, F. (2025). Enhancing health care access in rural and remote communities: An environmental scan of virtual health innovations in British Columbia. Health Reform Observer – Observatoire des Réformes de Santé, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.13162/hro-ors.v12i2.6688
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.13162/hro-ors.v12i2.6688
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1828/24033
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherHealth Reform Observer
dc.rightsAttribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
dc.subjectvirtual health
dc.subjectrural health
dc.subjectimplementation
dc.subjecthealth policy
dc.subject.departmentPeter B. Gustavson School of Business
dc.titleEnhancing health care access in rural and remote communities: An environmental scan of virtual health innovations in British Columbia
dc.typeArticle

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