January 2021 eConsult Workgroup Webinar

The January 2021 E-Consult Workgroup webinar featured a presentation from the Ontario (Ottawa) eConsult Program, led by Clare Liddy, MD and two members of her research team, Alexander Hajjir and Claire Sethuram. The presentation focused on findings from their recent publications:

Primary Care Providers’ Perspectives on the Ontario eConsult Program

Researchers analyzed a 2019 provider survey of 1,256 primary care providers (PCPs). Their results found that:

• 74% of PCPs agreed that eConsult improved their referral decision making
• 73% agreed that eConsult increased their ability to manage a broader array of diagnoses and
• 88% stated that their user experience was either “very good” or “good” 

The Vascular eConsult: An Efficient, Useful, and Economical Tool for Primary Care Physicians to Interact With a Vascular Specialist, for Proper Care of the Vascular Patient

This study reviewed 846 cases that had been submitted for a vascular surgery e-consult between 2014 to 2016. Each case included mandatory PCP survey questions related to the overall usefulness of the response by the vascular specialist and the effects on patient care. Overall, the study found that e-consults were a popular and helpful tool to inform patient care with 92% of physician participants finding the eConsult experience helpful or very helpful and educational.

Download the webinar presentation slides.