Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40019816›Full record

ArticleJMIR human factors2025

The Utilization of Electronic Consultations (eConsults) to Address Emerging Questions Related to Long COVID-19 in Ontario, Canada: Mixed Methods Analysis.

Jatinderpreet Singh, Michael Quon, Danica Goulet, Erin Keely, Clare Liddy

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JMIR human factors, 2025. 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

5 authors.

Jatinderpreet SinghDepartment of Family Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-0653-0091
Michael QuonDepartment of Medicine (General Internal Medicine), The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada.ORCID 0009-0002-4558-9325
Danica GouletC T Lamont Primary Health Care Research Centre, Bruyère Health Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.ORCID 0009-0004-8109-6696
Erin KeelyDepartment of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-3407-5065
Clare LiddyDepartment of Family Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-0699-5494

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Long COVID is an often debilitating condition affecting millions of people. Its diverse clinical presentations make effective diagnosis and management at the primary care level difficult, while specialist services for long COVID face extensive wait times. An electronic consultation (eConsult) program in Ontario developed a long COVID specialist group to allow primary care providers (PCPs) prompt access to specialist advice for patients with long COVID. Objective: This study aims to assess patterns of service use, response times, impact, and clinical content of eConsult cases submitted to an eConsult long COVID specialist group in Ontario. Methods: This study is a mixed methods analysis of eConsults submitted by PCPs to the long COVID specialist group of 2 eConsult services (Champlain eConsult BASE and Ontario eConsult) between June 1, 2021, and July 31, 2022. Data sources included the use data collected automatically by the services, responses to a mandatory closeout survey, and the content of PCP questions and specialist responses (Champlain eConsult BASE service only). Clinical questions or responses were analyzed using 2 validated taxonomies. Descriptive statistics were used for survey responses and use data. Results: A total of 40 PCPs submitted 47 eConsults through Champlain eConsult BASE and 197 PCPs submitted 228 cases through Ontario eConsult. The median specialist response time was 0.6 (IQR 0.19-2.36; mean 1.7, SD 2.29) days. The 5 most common symptoms of long COVID were fatigue (14/47, 30%), dyspnea (7/47, 15%), cough (6/47, 13%), altered sense of smell (ie, anosmia and parosmia; 6/47, 13%), and cognitive changes (6/47, 13%). The five main question categories asked by PCPs were: (1) management of chronic symptoms of COVID-19, (2) need for additional work-up or follow-up testing, (3) community resources to support or manage patients with long COVID, (4) diagnostic clarification, and (5) guidance regarding COVID-19 vaccination. Conclusions: The long COVID groups provided rapid access to a multispecialty service that facilitated the avoidance of unnecessary face-to-face referrals. An assessment of eConsults highlighted 5 common question types, providing insight into potential gaps in knowledge among PCPs that could help guide medical education and policy.

Indexed as

COVID-19Remote ConsultationFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedOntarioPrimary Health CareSARS-CoV-2assessmentCanadaconsultationCOVID-19COVID-19 vaccinationCOVID specialistdiagnosiseConsultelectronic consultationlong COVIDmedical educationmixed methods analysispatientprimary carespecialistsymptomteleconsultationvaccinationweb-based consultationweb-based consultations

Identifiers

PMID40019816
PMCPMC11887793

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.