• Anthony W Russell, Peter Adkins, Lisa Hayes, Erin Prior, Christine McCormack, and John DiGregorio.
• Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
• Intern Med J. 2022 Dec 1; 52 (12): 215021562150-2156.

BackgroundElectronic consultations (eConsults) allow general practitioners (GP) to seek the advice of a specialist via secure asynchronous digital communication.AimsTo report the outcomes of a proof of concept (POC) trial of eConsults for patients with diabetes and endocrine disorders.MethodsA prospective observational study conducted from November 2020 to May 2021. eConsults were provided by endocrinologists from the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane. The requests for advice were from GP in Brisbane South. An online questionnaire was completed by the GP and endocrinologist after each eConsult.ResultsForty eConsults were performed over 7 months. The majority were in relation to type 2 diabetes (30%) or thyroid conditions (30%). All eConsult responses were performed within the target of 72 h with 92.5% responses provided within 24 h. The average time taken for the endocrinologist to perform the eConsult was 14.2 ± 4.4 min. The GP rated the value of eConsults as excellent 97% of the time. The eConsult resulted in a new or additional course of action 68% (19/28) of the time and confirmed a course of action 32% (9/28) of the time. The eConsult avoided the need for referral of the patient for a face-to-face specialist review in 55% of the eConsults.ConclusionAn eConsult service was able to be delivered by endocrinologists from a tertiary hospital to GP in Brisbane South. With an appropriate funding model, the broader implementation and adoption of eConsults has the potential to address specialist waiting lists and facilitate models of integrated care.© 2021 Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

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