Differences in experiences with episodic virtual care based on language of comfort for healthcare services in New Brunswick, Canada

Resource type
Journal Article
Authors/contributors
Title
Differences in experiences with episodic virtual care based on language of comfort for healthcare services in New Brunswick, Canada
Abstract
Background Communication plays a central role in accessing healthcare, but few studies have investigated how language shapes the full continuum of access, from perceptions of the system to experiences of care. We sought to clarify how preferred language for healthcare services differentiates patterns of episodic virtual care (EVC) use and explored differences in experiences with EVC services based on the language of comfort of those who used eVisitNB in New Brunswick (NB), Canada. Methods We analyzed NB residents aged 18 years and older who reported using eVisitNB in the past year using an online survey from 12/2023 to 2/2025. The survey used complex branching to achieve specificity in the questions being asked and queried on various aspects of the process of healthcare access, from perceptions and care seeking through to experiences of service use. We analysed distributions of respondent characteristics and eVisitNB use using Chi-square tests, and we constructed multivariate logistic regressions to estimate associations between visit experience measures and official language of comfort for healthcare. We analyzed free-text responses when they pertained to language of care. We stratified all analyses by official language of comfort for healthcare. Results 66.0% of respondents (n = 1,639; 68.0% female) reported their preferred language for healthcare services as English, 24.8% as French, and 9.2% as French or English. Regardless of preferred language, respondents rated perceptions and acceptable uses of eVisitNB similarly, and half reported that eVisitNB could meet their day-to-day health needs. In the past 12-months, participants who reported French as their language of comfort for health services reported the most frequent use. Respondents who prefer French were more likely to report that eVisitNB met their needs (Odds ratio, 95% Confidence interval: 2.00, 1.40–2.87), but this was challenged by free-text survey responses underscoring difficulty for French speakers to access a healthcare provider with a shared language. Conclusions Findings suggest slight differences in eVisitNB experiences based on NB citizens official language of comfort for healthcare. However, paradoxical findings between quantitative and free-text responses highlight healthcare access inequities in language groups in NB, and underscore ongoing challenges in deploying healthcare technologies that are appropriate for citizens’ language of comfort for healthcare.
Publication
BMC Primary Care
Date
2026-04-21
Volume
27
Issue
1
Pages
219
Journal Abbr
BMC Prim. Care
Accessed
6/14/26, 7:17 PM
ISSN
2731-4553
Language
en
Library Catalogue
DOI.org (Crossref)
Citation
Gallant, F., Forgues, É., Moffitt, J., & Lavergne, M. R. (2026). Differences in experiences with episodic virtual care based on language of comfort for healthcare services in New Brunswick, Canada. BMC Primary Care, 27(1), 219. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-026-03329-y
Area of intervention or study
Minority language group(s)
Study population
Country
Canadian provinces or territories
Research type
  • Mixed