Improving access to specialists in remote communities: a cross-sectional study and cost analysis of the use of eConsult in Nunavut
Background: Residents of remote communities face inequities in access to specialists, excessive wait times, and poorly coordinated care. The Champlain BASETM (Building Access to Specialists through eConsultation) service facilitates asynchronous communication between primary care providers (PCP) and...
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2017
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:6d25927340bc48539f8389ce38b5a20c 2023-05-15T15:09:36+02:00 Improving access to specialists in remote communities: a cross-sectional study and cost analysis of the use of eConsult in Nunavut Clare Liddy Fanny McKellips Catherine Deri Armstrong Amir Afkham Leigh Fraser-Roberts Erin Keely 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1080/22423982.2017.1323493 https://doaj.org/article/6d25927340bc48539f8389ce38b5a20c EN eng Taylor & Francis Group http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/22423982.2017.1323493 https://doaj.org/toc/2242-3982 2242-3982 doi:10.1080/22423982.2017.1323493 https://doaj.org/article/6d25927340bc48539f8389ce38b5a20c International Journal of Circumpolar Health, Vol 76, Iss 1 (2017) Primary care eConsult electronic consultation wait times rural communities northern communities Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 article 2017 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1080/22423982.2017.1323493 2022-12-31T02:41:12Z Background: Residents of remote communities face inequities in access to specialists, excessive wait times, and poorly coordinated care. The Champlain BASETM (Building Access to Specialists through eConsultation) service facilitates asynchronous communication between primary care providers (PCP) and specialists. The service was extended to several PCPs in Nunavut in 2014. Objective: To (1) describe the use of eConsult services in Nunavut, and (2) conduct a costing evaluation. Design: A cross-sectional study and cost analysis of all eConsult cases submitted between August 2014 and April 2016. Results: PCPs from Nunavut submitted 165 eConsult cases. The most popular specialties were dermatology (16%), cardiology (8%), endocrinology (7%), otolaryngology (7%), and obstetrics/gynaecology (7%). Specialists provided a response in a median of 0.9 days (IQR=0.3–3.0, range=0.01–15.02). In 35% of cases, PCPs were able to avoid the face-to-face specialist visits they had originally planned for their patients. Total savings associated with eConsult in Nunavut are estimated at $180,552.73 or $1,100.93 per eConsult. Conclusions: The eConsult service provided patients in Nunavut’s remote communities with prompt access to specialist advice. The service’s chief advantage in Canada’s northern communities is its ability to offer electronic access to a breadth of specialties far greater than could be supported locally. Our findings suggest that a territory-wide adoption of eConsult would generate enormous savings. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Circumpolar Health International Journal of Circumpolar Health Nunavut Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Nunavut International Journal of Circumpolar Health 76 1 1323493 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Primary care eConsult electronic consultation wait times rural communities northern communities Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 |
spellingShingle |
Primary care eConsult electronic consultation wait times rural communities northern communities Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Clare Liddy Fanny McKellips Catherine Deri Armstrong Amir Afkham Leigh Fraser-Roberts Erin Keely Improving access to specialists in remote communities: a cross-sectional study and cost analysis of the use of eConsult in Nunavut |
topic_facet |
Primary care eConsult electronic consultation wait times rural communities northern communities Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 |
description |
Background: Residents of remote communities face inequities in access to specialists, excessive wait times, and poorly coordinated care. The Champlain BASETM (Building Access to Specialists through eConsultation) service facilitates asynchronous communication between primary care providers (PCP) and specialists. The service was extended to several PCPs in Nunavut in 2014. Objective: To (1) describe the use of eConsult services in Nunavut, and (2) conduct a costing evaluation. Design: A cross-sectional study and cost analysis of all eConsult cases submitted between August 2014 and April 2016. Results: PCPs from Nunavut submitted 165 eConsult cases. The most popular specialties were dermatology (16%), cardiology (8%), endocrinology (7%), otolaryngology (7%), and obstetrics/gynaecology (7%). Specialists provided a response in a median of 0.9 days (IQR=0.3–3.0, range=0.01–15.02). In 35% of cases, PCPs were able to avoid the face-to-face specialist visits they had originally planned for their patients. Total savings associated with eConsult in Nunavut are estimated at $180,552.73 or $1,100.93 per eConsult. Conclusions: The eConsult service provided patients in Nunavut’s remote communities with prompt access to specialist advice. The service’s chief advantage in Canada’s northern communities is its ability to offer electronic access to a breadth of specialties far greater than could be supported locally. Our findings suggest that a territory-wide adoption of eConsult would generate enormous savings. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Clare Liddy Fanny McKellips Catherine Deri Armstrong Amir Afkham Leigh Fraser-Roberts Erin Keely |
author_facet |
Clare Liddy Fanny McKellips Catherine Deri Armstrong Amir Afkham Leigh Fraser-Roberts Erin Keely |
author_sort |
Clare Liddy |
title |
Improving access to specialists in remote communities: a cross-sectional study and cost analysis of the use of eConsult in Nunavut |
title_short |
Improving access to specialists in remote communities: a cross-sectional study and cost analysis of the use of eConsult in Nunavut |
title_full |
Improving access to specialists in remote communities: a cross-sectional study and cost analysis of the use of eConsult in Nunavut |
title_fullStr |
Improving access to specialists in remote communities: a cross-sectional study and cost analysis of the use of eConsult in Nunavut |
title_full_unstemmed |
Improving access to specialists in remote communities: a cross-sectional study and cost analysis of the use of eConsult in Nunavut |
title_sort |
improving access to specialists in remote communities: a cross-sectional study and cost analysis of the use of econsult in nunavut |
publisher |
Taylor & Francis Group |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1080/22423982.2017.1323493 https://doaj.org/article/6d25927340bc48539f8389ce38b5a20c |
geographic |
Arctic Nunavut |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Nunavut |
genre |
Arctic Circumpolar Health International Journal of Circumpolar Health Nunavut |
genre_facet |
Arctic Circumpolar Health International Journal of Circumpolar Health Nunavut |
op_source |
International Journal of Circumpolar Health, Vol 76, Iss 1 (2017) |
op_relation |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/22423982.2017.1323493 https://doaj.org/toc/2242-3982 2242-3982 doi:10.1080/22423982.2017.1323493 https://doaj.org/article/6d25927340bc48539f8389ce38b5a20c |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1080/22423982.2017.1323493 |
container_title |
International Journal of Circumpolar Health |
container_volume |
76 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
1323493 |
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1766340767989628928 |