Improving Access to Rheumatologists: Use and Benefits of an Electronic Consultation Service

Objective. To describe the use and benefits of an innovative eConsult service to improve access to rheumatologists.

Methods. There were 225 eConsults directed to rheumatology that were categorized by type of question and effect on face-to-face referral rates.

Results. The median response time by the rheumatologists was 1.9 days. Clinical questions included drug treatment (34%), diagnosis (26%), or management (14%). Osteoporosis was the most common diagnosis (22%), followed by pain in multiple joints (11%), and polyarthritis (10%). A face-to-face referral was avoided in 38% of cases.

Conclusion. There are clinical questions that can be answered quickly by an eConsult, improving access to rheumatologists.