Investigating the Barriers of High Quality of Care in Virtual Visits Using the AcciMap Framework

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic caused a dramatic shift to telehealth in the U.S. and increased the demand for this modality of care. Although the peak in telehealth usage declined after the COVID-19 surge was over, it has remained an integral part of medical care. Quality of care has been a top priority for healthcare delivery systems. However, addressing this aim is not yet commensurate with the rapid growth of digital health. This paper focuses on virtual visits, as one of the main categories of telehealth, and provides a systematic analysis to enhance quality of care. It uses the AcciMap framework, originally developed by Rasmussen in 1997 for systematic incident investigation, to analyze barriers of high quality of care in virtual visits. It then provides recommendations to address some of those barriers.

Keywords: Healthcare, Quality of Care, Patient Safety, Telehealth, Digital Health, Virtual Care, Systematic Incident Investigation and Prevention, COVID-19 Pandemic

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1004845

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