Poster can be found in location 83.

Background: Digital meetings such as video consultations in healthcare are increasing rapidly after the COVID -19 pandemic when it became an immediate necessity (1). In rural areas recruiting and retaining health care professionals is a severe challenge and long distances between health care facilities sometimes limit access and possibility for equal care. Video consultations offer both opportunities including less traveling and more accessible healthcare, but also challenges such as inequality in digital access and competence (2) and a risk of inferior quality in digital health care (3). Understanding patients` perspectives is crucial to develop person-centred health service delivery but little is known about emergency care video visits with geographically dispersed staff in a rural context. The aim of this study was to explore patients’ expectations and experiences of emergency care video meetings with geographically dispersed healthcare staff in rural cottage hospitals. Methods: This is a qualitative study with inductive approach. Semi- structured in-depth interviews with questions inspired by person- centred care were carried out with twelve patients aged 18 ̶ 89 recruited using purposive sampling.  The patients had experience of an emergency care meeting with a general practitioner on video screen and a nurse present with the patient in the emergency room. The interviews were conducted between October 2021 and Mars 2023 at seven primary care cottage hospitals in Västerbotten, Sweden. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analysed with content analysis as described by Graneheim and Lundman (4) using MAXQDA software.   Preliminary results: The analysis has so far revealed areas of importance to patients experiences and expectations e.g. an effective care-process, being noticed as equal despite the screen, limitations of healthcare technology, the desire of dedicated time and the right help, and patient contribution to the care meeting. Final results will be presented at the conference.