OBJECTIVES The COVID-19 pandemic compelled a portion of healthcare to be delivered virtually. As the pandemic waned, health systems strived to find a balance between re-incorporating in-person care while maintaining virtual care. To find when virtual or in-person encounters are more appropriate, we surveyed pediatricians' perceptions when comparing the suitability of virtual care to in-person care. METHODS We surveyed a Canadian tertiary-level pediatric hospital where pediatricians assessed whether specific clinical encounters or tasks were more or less effective virtually than when performed in person. Pediatricians also rated the importance of clinical and patient factors when deciding if a patient needs to be seen in person. RESULTS Of 160 pediatrics faculty members, 56 (35%) responded to the survey. When assessing different types of clinical encounters, triage, multidisciplinary meetings, discharge, and follow ups were more likely to favor virtual encounters. However, first consultations and family meetings were more likely to favor in-person encounters. Regarding clinical tasks, pediatricians were more likely to endorse explaining test results, offering treatment recommendations, and obtaining patient histories virtually. On the contrary, there was a preference for physical examinations, assessing patients visually, and assessing developmental milestones to be performed in person. When deciding if a patient should be seen in person versus virtual, pediatricians rated the patient's condition and communication barriers as the most important factors favoring an in-person appointment. DISCUSSION These results offer an initial framework for pediatricians when choosing which encounter type may be most appropriate for their patients between virtual or in-person appointments.

中文翻译：

---

比较虚拟护理与面对面护理的适用性：儿科医生的看法。

目标 COVID-19 大流行迫使部分医疗保健以虚拟方式提供。随着大流行的减弱，卫生系统努力在重新纳入面对面护理和维持虚拟护理之间找到平衡。为了找出虚拟或面对面护理何时更合适，我们调查了儿科医生在比较虚拟护理与面对面护理的适用性时的看法。方法 我们调查了加拿大一家三级儿科医院，儿科医生评估了特定的临床遭遇或任务在虚拟环境中是否比亲自进行更有效。在决定患者是否需要亲自就诊时，儿科医生还评估了临床和患者因素的重要性。结果 在 160 名儿科教职人员中，有 56 名 (35%) 回应了调查。在评估不同类型的临床就诊时，分诊、多学科会议、出院和随访更有可能支持虚拟就诊。然而，首次咨询和家庭会议更有可能倾向于面对面的接触。关于临床任务，儿科医生更有可能支持解释测试结果、提供治疗建议以及虚拟获取患者病史。相反，人们更倾向于进行身体检查、目视评估患者以及亲自评估发育里程碑。在决定是否应该亲自就诊还是虚拟就诊患者时，儿科医生将患者的病情和沟通障碍视为有利于面对面预约的最重要因素。讨论 这些结果为儿科医生在虚拟或面对面预约之间选择最适合患者的就诊类型提供了初步框架。