Project 460460

The COVID-19 pandemic is not experienced equally across populations. Risk factors for worse outcomes of COVID-19 include age, sex, race, and comorbidities. One of the populations that has been most negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic are persons living with dementia (PLWD). In addition to experiencing worse outcomes due to COVID-19 disease, they are particularly vulnerable to the public health directives (social distancing) and disrupted access to supportive and health care. Telemedicine (TM) was quickly implemented by family physicians to deliver primary care during the pandemic to limit in-person interactions. While TM could improve access to primary healthcare for PLWD, there is still a lack of research supporting its effectiveness. The goal of this study is to better understand the use of TM in PLWD and their caregivers. We will use a convergent mixed-methods approach, where two quantitative studies of the different design are done in parallel, which are then integrated. The first study is a survey assessing the experiences on TM of PLWD, caregivers and family physicians. The second study will measure visits to the emergency room and hospitalizations of PLWD in Quebec province. The results from these studies will then be integrated to support a workshop that brings together managers, PLWD, caregivers, and clinicians to develop recommendations for practice and policy. The use of TM in primary care practice will likely remain after the COVID-19 pandemic, and as such our research aims to provide the evidence and appropriate recommendations to ensure that TM is sustainable, good quality, and used appropriately in primary care for PLWD and their caregivers.