The Mater Hospital's eConsultant model, is an asynchronous GP-to-General Physician communication over secure messaging. eConsultant provides a formalised, efficient and documented method for GPs to access specialist support for patients and reduces patient wait times for specialist input and requirement for face-to-face hospital visits.
eConsultant implementation and evaluation
Summary
Aim
This research program aims to evaluate the implementation of an electronic consultant model in the Australian setting.
Benefits
The mean turnaround time for patients to discuss the eConsultant specialist advice with their (General Practitioner) GP of 12 days was 18 days less than Category 1, 78 days less than Category 2, and 353 days less than Category 3 recommended waiting list timeframes.
The eConsultant mean time to assess the request for advice (RFA) and respond via secure messaging was 27 minutes, well below the 45-60 minute Outpatient Department (OPD) appointment booking usually allocated for new patient assessments.
All RFA received an answer from the eConsultant, and in 86% of cases, patients avoided a face-to-face specialist visit, with the associated savings in cost and time for travel particularly noted by rural and remote patients and providers.
GPs and patients valued the timely and effective specialist input.
Background
Demand for specialist services is increasing with trends to longer life and increased prevalence of complex and chronic disease. This increase in demand and concomitant delays in obtaining specialist’ input, can lead to a deterioration in health, increasing the likelihood of avoidable hospital attendance. Delayed access is most pronounced in rural and remote Australia given the largely metropolitan distribution of specialist services. Apart from patient referrals to in-person specialist care there are currently limited systems in place for GPs to access specialist support and informal methods are commonly used by GPs, such as telephoning personal specialist contacts for advice. International evidence from the Mayo Clinic and the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) suggests increased efficiency, quality and satisfaction with care, by allowing GPs secure electronic access to specialist input, and avoiding unnecessary OPD attendance.