Immigrant, Refugee, and Indigenous Canadians’ Experiences With Virtual Health Care Services: Rapid Review

Abstract

Background The remote, dispersed, and multicultural population of Canada presents unique challenges for health care services. Currently, virtual care solutions are being offered as an innovative solution to improve access to care. Objective Given the inequities in health care access faced by immigrant, refugee, and Indigenous Canadians, this review aimed to summarize information obtained from original research regarding these people’s experiences with virtual care services in Canada. Methods We conducted a rapid review following published recommendations. MEDLINE and CINAHL were searched for studies relating to virtual care and Canadian immigrants, refugees, or Indigenous peoples. Peer-reviewed articles of any type were included so long as they included information on the experiences of virtual care service delivery in Canada among the abovementioned groups. Results This review demonstrates an extreme paucity of evidence examining the experiences of immigrant, refugee, and Indigenous groups with virtual care in Canada. Of the 694 publications screened, 8 were included in this review. A total of 2 studies focused on immigrants and refugees in Canada, with the remaining studies focusing on Indigenous communities. Results demonstrate that virtual care is generally accepted within these communities; however, cultural appropriateness or safety and inequitable access to wireless services in certain communities were among the most cited barriers. Conclusions Little evidence exists outlining immigrants’, refugees’, and Indigenous peoples’ perspectives on the landscape of virtual care in Canada. The development of virtual care programming should take into consideration the barriers, facilitators, and recommendations outlined in this review to improve equitable access. Further, developers should consult with local community members to ensure the appropriateness of services for immigrant, refugee, and Indigenous communities in Canada.