Article Figures & Data
Figures
- Figure 1.
Closeout survey administered upon the completion of each eConsult.
- Figure 2.
Flow of electronic consults (eConsults) completed between April 15, 2011, and December 31, 2013, through qualitative analysis.
- Figure 3.
Chart of primary care physician (PCP) responses to questions 3 and 4 of close-out survey, completed between April 15, 2011, and December 31, 2013, enquiring about the perceived value of the electronic consult (eConsult) service for their patients and for themselves. Questions were answered on a 5-point Likert scale (5 = excellent, 1 = minimal).
Tables
- Table 1. Characteristics of Primary Care Physicians Who Are Registered to Use the Service and Left a Comment Between April 15, 2011, and December 31, 2013, Those Who are Registered and Have Yet to Submit an eConsult, and the Entire of Sample of Primary Care Physicians
Characteristics PCPs Leaving a Comment (n = 137) PCPs Who Have Yet to Submit an eConsult (n = 160) All PCPs* (n = 357) Female sex 73.7 (101) 68.1 (109) 73.1 (261) MD provider type 78.1 (107) 72.5 (116) 78.2 (279) Rural practice location 11.7 (16) 11.9 (19) 10.6 (38) eConsults submitted per PCP (n), median (IQR) 8 (4–17) N/A 6 (2–12) Years registered for the service (n), median (IQR) 1.20 (0.63–2.23) 0.93 (0.42–1.97) 1.14 (0.48–1.97) ↵* Total includes PCPs who submitted an eConsult but chose not to leave a comment.
Data are % (n) unless otherwise indicated.
eConsult, electronic consultation; IQR, interquartile range; NA, not applicable; PCP, primary care physician.
- Table 2. Specialty Distribution of Electronic Consultations Completed Between April 15, 2011 and December 31, 2013 for All Cases and Those Where a Written Comment Was Left
Specialty Cases Where PCP Elected to Leave a Comment* (n = 554) Total† (n = 2047) Cardiology 26 (41) 156 Clinical pharmacist 13 (1) 8 Dermatology 34 (127) 374 Diabetes education 50 (1) 2 Endocrinology 29 (63) 218 Ear, nose, and throat 21 (10) 48 Gastroenterology 25 (7) 28 General pediatrics 17 (19) 109 Genetics 33 (1) 3 Hematology 26 (48) 185 Infectious diseases 17 (7) 42 Internal medicine 33 (43) 129 Nephrology 27 (19) 71 Neurology 24 (48) 196 Obstetrics/gynecology 33 (49) 148 Pain medicine and anesthesiology 26 (7) 27 PainConnect (reconsultation) 100 (3) 3 Palliative care 100 (1) 1 Pediatric hematology/oncology 13 (2) 15 Psychiatry 26 (16) 61 Radiology Abdominal 22 (4) 18 Musculoskeletal 33 (5) 15 Neuroradiology 0 (0) 9 Thoracic 0 (0) 7 Rheumatology 18 (16) 89 Thrombosis 32 (10) 31 Urology 11 (6) 54 Total 2047 - Table 3. Themes Arising from Primary Care Physician Responses to Open-Ended Questions in a Mandatory Closeout Survey Completed Between April 15, 2011, and December 31, 2013 (n = 554)
Major Theme Subtheme PCP appreciation of the eConsult service Satisfaction Response time Reassurance to the PCP Cost savings Perceived benefits to the quality of patient care Educational benefits of using eConsult Face-to-face referral still needed Rerouting referrals Access to specialist knowledge Reassurance for the patient Reduced patients' burden Attitudes toward using a new health technology Adoption Challenges Request additional specialties eConsult, electronic consultation; PCP, primary care physician.
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