Promoters and Detractors Identify Virtual Care as “Worlds Better than Nothing”: A Qualitative Study of Participating Veterinarians’ Perception of Virtual Care as a Tool for Providing Access

Abstract

(1) Background: Veterinary virtual care holds the potential to alleviate some barriers to accessing care, yet concerns within the profession exist. Understanding veterinarians’ perspectives and identifying the potential opportunities and challenges that virtual care poses for access to veterinary care are thus needed. (2) Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted virtually with 22 companion-animal veterinarians practicing across Canada and the United States. Interviews were accompanied by an electronic survey, with which a Net Promoter Score (NPS) was calculated for each participant. Using their NPS, participants were categorized as a “promoter” or “detractor”, with respect to their perspective on veterinary virtual care. A thematic analysis was conducted on verbatim transcripts of the interviews. (3) Results: A total of 11 detractors and 11 promoters were interviewed. Four subthemes were identified, including the following: (1) there are limitations to virtual care, (2) virtual care plays a role in access to care, (3) “virtual care is better than no care” and (4) virtual care offers specific value in supplementing in-person care. (4) Conclusion: When no other option for care delivery exists, virtual care was viewed as a way to increase access to veterinary care.