Observational studyBMC health services research2024
What do primary care providers want to know when caring for patients living with frailty? An analysis of eConsult communications between primary care providers and specialists.
Observational study in BMC health services research, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- What are the primary care physicians and cardiologists talking about? a cross-sectional analysis of two telemedicine services in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.BMC primary care · 2025Article
- Classification system for primary care provider eConsults about medications for older adults with frailty.BMC primary care · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundFrailty is a complex condition that primary care providers (PCPs) are managing in increasing numbers, yet there is no clear guidance or training for frailty care.
objectivesThe present study examined eConsult questions PCPs asked specialists about patients with frailty, the specialists' responses, and the impact of eConsult on the care of these patients.
designCross-sectional observational study.
settingChamplainBASE™ eConsult located in Eastern Ontario, Canada.
participantsSixty one eConsult cases closed by PCPs in 2019 that use the terms "frail" or "frailty" to describe patients 65 years of age or older. MEASUREMENTS: The Taxonomy of Generic Clinical Questions (TGCQ) was used to classify PCP questions and the International Classification for Primary Care 3 (ICPC-3) was used to classify the clinical content of each eConsult. The impact of eConsult on patient care was measured by PCP responses to a mandatory survey.
resultsPCPs most frequently directed their questions to cardiology (n = 7; 11%), gastroenterology (n = 7; 11%), and endocrinology (n = 6; 10%). Specialist answers most often pertained to medications (n = 63, 46%), recommendations for clinical investigation (n = 24, 17%), and diagnoses (n = 22, 16%). Specialist responses resulted in PCPs avoiding referral in 57% (n = 35) of cases whereas referrals were still required in 15% (n = 9) of cases. Specialists responded to eConsults in a median 1.11 days (IQR = 0.3-4.7), and 95% (n = 58) of cases received a response within 7 days. Specialists recorded a median of 15 min to respond (IQR = 10-20), with a median cost of $50.00 CAD (IQR = 33.33 - 66.66) per eConsult.
conclusionsThrough the analysis of questions and responses submitted to eConsult, this study provides novel information on PCP knowledge gaps and approaches to care for patients living with frailty. Furthermore, these analyses provide evidence that eConsult is a feasible and valuable tool for improving care for patients with frailty in primary care settings.
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