Abstract
BackgroundCost consequences analysis was completed from randomized controlled trial (RCT) data for the Just-in-time (JIT) librarian consultation service in primary care that ran from October 2005 to April 2006. The service was aimed at providing answers to clinical questions arising during the clinical encounter while the patient waits. Cost saving and cost avoidance were also analyzed. The data comes from eighty-eight primary care providers in the Ottawa area working in Family Health Networks (FHNs) and Family Health Groups (FHGs).MethodsWe conducted a cost consequences analysis based on data from the JIT project [1]. We also estimated the potential economic benefit of JIT librarian consultation service to the health care system.ResultsThe results show that the cost per question for the JIT service was $38.20. The cost could be as low as $5.70 per question for a regular service. Nationally, if this service was implemented and if family physicians saw additional patients when the JIT service saved them time, up to 61,100 extra patients could be seen annually. A conservative estimate of the cost savings and cost avoidance per question for JIT was $11.55.ConclusionsThe cost per question, if the librarian service was used at full capacity, is quite low. Financial savings to the health care system might exceed the cost of the service. Saving physician's time during their day could potentially lead to better access to family physicians by patients. Implementing a librarian consultation service can happen quickly as the time required to train professional librarians to do this service is short.
Highlights
Access to family physicians (FPs) is a major concern for the Canadian health care system
We evaluate the JIT service using a cost consequences analysis (CCA), an approach that is readily understood and applied by healthcare decisionmakers [16,17]
The providers worked in Family Health Networks (FHNs) and Family Health Groups (FHGs), two new models of primary care service delivery in Ontario and ran from October 2005 to April 2006
Summary
Access to family physicians (FPs) is a major concern for the Canadian health care system. Despite increased medical school enrollment, more medical students choosing family medicine, and programs to facilitate the licensing of foreign medical graduates, it will take years to redress the shortage. Using other health professionals to participate in patient care is a promising strategy to increase system capacity. A project called the ‘‘Just-in-time librarian consultation service (JIT)’’ was designed to test if the provision of a question and answering service could improve the efficiency and effectiveness of FPs by saving them time. Cost consequences analysis was completed from randomized controlled trial (RCT) data for the Just-in-time (JIT) librarian consultation service in primary care that ran from October 2005 to April 2006. The service was aimed at providing answers to clinical questions arising during the clinical encounter while the patient waits. The data comes from eighty-eight primary care providers in the Ottawa area working in Family Health Networks (FHNs) and Family Health Groups (FHGs)
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