Abstract
BackgroundTelephone consultations between physicians provide quick access to medical advice, allowing patients to be cared for by calling physicians in their local settings.ObjectiveAs part of a quality assurance study of a physician-to-physician consultation program in Alberta, Canada, this environmental scan aims to identify the characteristics and outcomes of physician-to-physician telephone consultation programs across several countries.MethodsWe searched 7 databases to identify English publications in 2007-2017 describing physician-to-physician consultations using telephones as the main technology. To identify Canadian programs, the literature search was supplemented with an additional internet search.ResultsThe literature search yielded 2336 citations, of which 17 publications were included. Across 7 countries, 14 telephone consultation programs provided primary care providers with access to various specialists through hotlines, paging systems, or call centers. The programs reported on the avoidance of hospitalizations, emergency department visits and specialty visits, caller satisfaction with the telephone consultation, and cost avoidance.ConclusionsTelephone consultation programs between health care providers have facilitated access to specialist care and prevented acute care use.
Highlights
A key component of these systems is the use of technology to allow health care providers to consult and securely share patient information with other providers
In a 2016 survey, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 58% of responding member states had eHealth strategies, and 62% of member states had a consultation service using mobile information communication technology https://formative.jmir.org/2021/2/e17672
A systematic review by Deldar et al [2] found 174 publications examining the role of teleconsultations
Summary
A key component of these systems is the use of technology to allow health care providers to consult and securely share patient information with other providers. The World Health Organization (WHO) promotes this use of information communication technology (called eHealth) in support of health care services and training. 1 (page number not for citation purposes) between health care practitioners or between health care practitioners and patients [1] This ubiquitous use of technology in health care is reflected in published literature, and the benefits of these systems to care processes have been well documented. Another systematic review by Saliba et al [3] identified 94 studies evaluating the facilitators and barriers of various telemedicine services The delivery of such eHealth solutions is substantial. Telephone consultations between physicians provide quick access to medical advice, allowing patients to be cared for by calling physicians in their local settings
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