Research Impact

 

An electronic cardiac rehabilitation referral system increases cardiac rehabilitation referrals

Article Type:

Retrospective Analysis

 

 

Aim:

Determine the effectiveness and efficiency of an e-referral system in cardiology clinic

Summary:

Total referrals to cardiac rehabilitation increased by a factor of 1.8x
Inpatient referrals increased 17-fold

Conclusion:

E-referrals increased uptake of necessary services

Referrals closed on time increased from 40 to 70%

Clinical question answered increased from 50 to 75%

 

Digital image referral for suspected skin malignancy - a pilot study of 300 patients

Article Type:

Prospective Cohort

Aims:

Assess viability of high quality digital image transfer to refer suspect skin cancers

Summary:

- High quality digital images transferred via secure electronic referral system for diagnosis rather than biopsy
- Interval between referral and diagnosis: 81% reduction
- Interval between referral and treatment: 30% reduction
- Equivalent diagnostic accuracy

Conclusion:

Using pre-consultation information transfer improved management of patients with suspected skin cancers

Health System Implementation of a Tobacco Quitline eReferral

Article Type:

Prospective Cohort

Aims:

Assessing impact of e-referrals on Tobacco Quitline service uptake

Summary:

- Referrals to quitline services and outpatient group classes doubled after inpatient order set was implemented
- 12.2% had a 6 to 12 month follow-up visit where they were documented as non-smoking

Conclusion:

E-referrals improved access to services and automation

Efficiency gains for rheumatology consultation using a novel electronic referral system in a safety-net health setting

Article Type:

Retrospective Cohort

Aims:

Assessing impact of a novel e-referral system on preconsultation, response time and number of visits

Summary:

- 25% of eReferrals resolved without a clinic visit
- Preconsultation exchanges increased over time from 55% (2008) to 74% (2011)
- Consultant response time: 1-4 days
- Face-to-face appointments were required for 63% of the eReferrals that underwent preconsultation
- Wait times stable at 70-80 day

Conclusion:

Clinical triage using an e-referral system reduces face-to-face burden, improving clinician-facing time and availability

Development and evaluation of an electronic hospital referral system: a human factors approach

Article Type:

Cross-sectional study

Aims:

Effect of e-referral implementation on non-elective and emergency presentations in a neurosurgical unit

Summary:

- Referral quality improved with sufficient clinical information from 36.9% to 83.5%
- 35.7% reduction in number of calls to the on-call specialist
- Mean period between admission and surgery for expedited transfers was reduced

Conclusion:

E-referrals improved the quality of referrals received and reduced episodes of inpatient care

Improvement of the efficiency and completeness of neuro-oncology patient referrals to a tertiary center through the implementation of an electronic referral system

Article Type:

Retrospective Cohort

Aims:

Assessing impact of e-Referrals on efficiency and completeness

Summary:

- Median interval between diagnostic imaging to referral: 3 day (e-Referrals) vs. 9 days (paper Proforma) vs 19 days (paper referral)
- Median interval between referral to MDT decision: 3 day (e-Referrals) vs. 2 days (paper Proforma) vs 8 days (paper referral)
- Median interval between diagnostic imaging to surgery: 28 day (e-Referrals) vs. 34 days (paper Proforma) vs 104 days (paper referral)
- Study field completes: all complete (e-Referrals) vs 69-87% (paper Proforma) vs 15-65% (paper referral)

Conclusion:

E-referrals improved referral-to-treatment for patients requiring neuro-oncology management

The impact of integrating electronic referral within a musculoskeletal model of care on wait time to receive orthopaedic care in Ontario

Article Type:

Cross-sectional study

Aims:

Assessing impact of e-Referrals on wait times

Summary:

- Processing time of orthopaedic referrals at central intakes: 21.76 days less than paper-based referrals (p<0.001)
- Wait time until rapid access clinic appointment: 21.42 days less than paper-based referrals (p<0.001)
- Patient satisfaction: 87.7% satisfaction for e-Referral system

Conclusion:

E-referral systems significantly improved wait-times for patients referred for musculoskeletal care

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