The Impact of Virtual Care Quality on Patient Satisfaction: A Systematic Review

Abstract

With the evolution of digitalization in healthcare, the wide adoption of virtual care has been seen worldwide, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. Many patients were either compelled to use virtual care services during the pandemic or found it easier to access their healthcare providers through digital platforms. Therefore, many studies explored the relationship between virtual care and patient satisfaction. In light of recent literature, this review paper attempts to understand the evolving relationship between Virtual Care Quality (VCQ) and Patient Satisfaction (PS) by assessing studies revolving around different medical situations that incorporated virtual care in their treatments. The results of reviewing 38 quantitative studies from PubMed showed that patient satisfaction has a significant relationship with virtual care quality and that factors, such as patient-provider communication, technological access, convenience to care, and sociodemographic factors, such as age, gender, and literacy rate, play a vital role in assessing virtual care quality against patient satisfaction.