Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36755243›Full record

ArticleBMC health services research2023

Evaluation of BASE eConsult Manitoba: patient perspectives on the use of electronic consultation to improve access to specialty advice in Manitoba.

Alexander Singer, Laurie Ireland, Zahra Sepehri, Kelly Brown, Kevin Turner, Clare Liddy, Erin Keely, Luis Oppenheimer

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC health services research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Alexander SingerDepartment of Family Medicine, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, D009-780 Bannatyne Ave., MB, Winnipeg, R3E 0W2, Canada. Alexander.singer@umanitoba.ca.
Laurie IrelandDepartment of Family Medicine, University of Manitoba, D009-780 Bannatyne Ave., MB, Winnipeg, R3E 0W2, Canada.
Zahra SepehriDepartment of Internal Medicine, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran.
Kelly BrownCancerCare, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
Kevin TurnereConsult Centre of Excellence, University of Manitoba Alumni, Winnipeg, MB, R33 0W2, Canada.
Clare Liddy7 C.T. Lamont Primary Health Care Research Centre, Bruyere Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Erin KeelyeConsult Centre of Excellence, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Luis OppenheimerDepartment of Surgery, University of Manitoba and Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe burden of waiting to access specialist expertise may contribute to poorer health outcomes and causes distress for patients and providers. One solution to improve access to specialist care is to use innovative tools such as remote asynchronous electronic consultation (eConsult). Modeled after the Champlain BASE™ (Building Access to Specialist Advice) eConsult service, BASE™ eConsult Manitoba was launched in 2017 to help address long waits for patients to access specialist advice.

objectiveWe aimed to evaluate patients' experiences after obtaining a BASE™ eConsult Manitoba service in their primary care setting.

methodsPatients whose Primary Care Providers (PCPs) used BASE™ eConsult as part of their care were asked to participate and complete a telephone-based or online 29-question survey between January 2021 and October 2021. The survey questions were created in consultation with patient partners and based on questions asked in studies done in other jurisdictions.

resultsOf the 36 patients who chose to participate, 29 completed the entire survey (80%). Two-thirds (n = 22) agreed that eConsult has been helpful in their situation, and over 80% (n = 24) of participants agreed that eConsult was an acceptable way to access specialist care. During the visit when their PCP sent the eConsult, 7 patients were expecting to be referred to a specialist for a face-to-face consultation. Over half of all respondents (n = 15) reported that before the eConsult occurred, their PCP asked them what questions they wanted to be answered by the specialist. Almost all of these respondents' questions were fully answered by the eConsult. All of the respondents were satisfied with the experience of receiving an eConsult.

conclusionUsing eConsult is an acceptable way to improve access to specialist advice from patients' perspectives. Consideration should be given to expanding the use of eConsult services to improve access to specialist expertise for PCPs and their patients.

Indexed as

MedicineRemote ConsultationCross-Sectional StudiesHealth Services AccessibilityHumansManitobaReferral and ConsultationAccess to careeConsultPrimary careQualitative researchQuality of care

Identifiers

PMID36755243
PMCPMC9909129

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.