Providing virtual care

During the COVID-19 pandemic, midwives have been providing virtual care along with in-person care. Virtual care certainly has significant limitations in midwifery; however, it can be an effective way to provide care without being in direct physical contact, and might be used when someone is unwell or unable to come to clinic to reduce the risk of potential spread of illness, to increase accessibility or to provide an opportunity for family members to participate in prenatal care without having them to all come to clinic.

  • The AOM’s Virtual Visit Guide for Midwives outlines key considerations when providing care virtually.
  • This chart from the AOM outlines the various platform options for virtual care and compares them based on cost, privacy, ease of use and other qualities. This is not exhaustive and may be out of date as technology is rapidly evolving; this should only be used as a starting point. Caution that some platforms (or plans) are not compliant with privacy legislation (PHIPA) and should generally be avoided.
  • This AOM webpage explores electronic privacy and provides important information about ensuring your privacy practices are appropriate when providing virtual care.
  • This document from the Ontario College of Family Physicians outlines the pros and cons of in-person versus virtual care.
  • This comprehensive toolkit (May, 2022) from Healthcare Excellence Canada and Canada Health Infoway provides information about all aspects of virtual care, intended for clinicians.
  • PCMCH’s Maternal-Neonatal Covid-19 Pregnancy Care Guideline (July, 2021) covers many aspects of prenatal care during the pandemic, including a section on providing care virtually.

Midwives with questions about virtual care can call the AOM On Call team for support (members only; login required).