Electronic consultation system demonstrates educational benefit for primary care providers.

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Primary Care Medicine
• Medical Education

Background:

• Electronic consultation (e-consult) systems facilitate timely specialist expertise for primary care providers (PCPs) through digital communication.
• The adoption and user satisfaction of e-consult systems are increasing across the United States.
• This study investigates the educational impact of a long-established integrated e-consult and referral system on PCPs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the educational value of an integrated e-consult and referral system from the perspective of primary care providers.
• To assess the impact of e-consults on PCPs' ability to manage common specialty clinical conditions.
• To identify differences in perceived educational benefits based on PCP specialty, provider type, and years of experience.

Main Methods:

• An electronic survey using five-point Likert scales was administered to primary care providers.
• Participants were asked about their perceptions of the educational value of e-consult communications.
• Data were analyzed to compare perceptions across different provider specialties, types (attending, mid-level, trainee), and experience levels.

Main Results:

• A high percentage (83.9%) of the 221 surveyed PCPs reported that the e-consult system provided educational value.
• No significant differences in overall educational value were found based on provider type, specialty, or years of experience.
• E-consults showed greater perceived benefit for managing laboratory-based conditions (e.g., hypothyroidism) compared to diffuse conditions (e.g., abdominal pain).
• Nurse practitioners/physician assistants, trainee physicians, and PCPs with ≤10 years of experience reported greater improvements in managing specific conditions than attending physicians or those with >20 years of experience.

Conclusions:

• Primary care providers overwhelmingly perceive integrated e-consult systems as educationally valuable.
• The greatest clinical educational benefits are reported by nurse practitioners, physician assistants, trainee physicians, and less-experienced PCPs.
• E-consult systems are particularly beneficial for managing conditions requiring laboratory-based diagnosis and treatment.