Faster Access, Better Care: A Guide to Establishing an eConsult Service

Abstract

The increasing wait times we are witnessing in North America for access to specialist care is jeopardizing patients’ mental and physical health, as well as impacting patient and provider satisfaction. As a family physician (Clare Liddy) and specialist (Erin Keely) we recognized we could do something about this. In 2008, we, along with an information technology expert (Amir Afkham) embarked on an initiative to improve access to specialist knowledge for patients in our Local Health Integration Network (LHIN). In this eBook, we share our experiences and lessons learned during the development and implementation of the Champlain BASETM eConsult service and outline the key considerations that go into the implementation of a successful eConsult service.