Rethinking access for person-centered virtual care: System design, implementation, and co-production across diverse contexts

Virtual care is an established model of healthcare delivery that enables safe and efficient care. Uptake of virtual care has increased rapidly largely driven by improved technology and provider and consumer acceptance. It can provide innovative solutions to reach diverse and underserved populations such as those living in remote communities. However, the shift from traditional healthcare delivery to digital modalities has amplified concerns regarding equitable access, person-centeredness, and cultural safety, especially for those facing the greatest barriers to access. These populations - including older adults, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, people with disabilities, First Nations and Indigenous peoples, rural and remote residents, those experiencing homelessness, migrants, refugees, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and people with complex health needs - often encounter significant barriers in accessing high-quality virtual health services. While recent research demonstrates the potential of virtual care to enhance reach and flexibility, persistent gaps remain related to digital divides, health and digital literacy, trust, usability, and system-level readiness to support equity and inclusion. Many current virtual models risk reproducing or even widening health disparities if they are not thoughtfully designed with these considerations at the forefront.As evidence continues to evolve, the need to operationalize person-centered and equity-oriented frameworks in virtual care delivery becomes increasingly clear. There is a growing body of work exploring person-centered virtual care, co-design methodologies, and evaluation strategies tailored for underserved and marginalised communities, but consistency and depth across health systems remain limited. Debates continue regarding the tension between efficiency, safety, autonomy, and relational care within digital environments, and the challenges of embedding cultural safety, governance, and co-leadership by marginalized communities. There is an urgent need for more empirical research, actionable models, and nuanced analyses to ensure virtual care is both inclusive and effective.This Research Topic aims to advance both the science and practice of virtual care by centering the needs, lived experiences, and aspirations of those most affected by inequities in care. It seeks to stimulate discussion and evidence on how health systems, policies, and workforce strategies can move beyond one-size-fits-all approaches, harnessing technology to reduce rather than perpetuate inequities. Key objectives include examining how person- and relationship-centered care frameworks can be adapted to virtual modalities, identifying and addressing barriers to equitable access, exploring innovative service delivery and workforce models, and evaluating outcomes that matter most to patients, families, and communities.Submissions should clearly engage with person- or people-centered care models, consider issues of equity, accessibility, and cultural safety, and report outcomes relevant to the populations of interest. To gather further insights, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:o Conceptual and critical analyses of person-centered virtual care frameworkso Strategies to bridge digital and health literacy gaps and improve accessibilityo Models promoting cultural safety, trust, self-determination, and participatory co-designo Lived experiences and acceptability of virtual care across the care continuumo Virtual and hybrid clinical service innovations for diverse population needso Impact evaluations on quality, safety, equity, and inclusivity of virtual careo Implementation science approaches for workforce, policy, and regulatory adaptationo Technology design, usability, and ethical issues in virtual care deliveryo Evaluation methodologies and novel metrics for inclusivity, trust, and cultural safetyWe welcome original research, systematic and scoping reviews, realist syntheses, methodological papers, study protocols, brief reports, case studies, and commentaries, especially those co-authored with patients, family members, community leaders, and Indigenous scholars or practitioners. Topic editors: Ann Carrigan, Elizabeth Austin, Colleen Cheek, Bróna Nic Giolla Easpaig Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/77371/rethinking-access-for-person-centered-virtual-care-system-design-implementation-and-co-production-across-diverse-contexts