Implementation and evaluation of an electronic consult program at a large academic health system

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0310122
• Publication Date: 2024-09-12T17:33:59Z
• Authors: Anita Arora; Renee Fekieta; Erica Spatz; Brita Roy; Karla Marco; Mona Sharifi; Dinesh Pashankar; Babar Khokhar
• Keywords: Specialty; Implementation research

Background Although the benefits of eConsults in increasing access and lowering unnecessary utilization have been well described, development a successful program can be challenging. Objective We sought to share experiences large academic health system implementing evaluating high-volume electronic consultation (eConsult) across 34 adult pediatric medical surgical specialties. Methods Using multi-method approach, we collected qualitative quantitative data on operational process outcomes describe adoption eConsults, survey capture satisfaction experience among referring specialist clinicians. Results conclusions Data this eConsult demonstrated robust uptake workflow as high amongst primary care specialty Effective implementation strategies included engaging leadership, building dedicated team, developing quality assurance mechanisms. These findings may inform at systems interested programs.