Table 1.
Characteristics of PCPs and patients for the eConsults submitted between April 15, 2011, and January 31, 2015, that prompted referrals compared with those that did not prompt referrals
| CHARACTERISTICS | eCONSULTS THAT PROMPTED REFERRALS (N = 188), N (%)*† | eCONSULTS THAT DID NOT PROMPT REFERRALS (N = 5413), N (%)*‡ | P VALUE§ |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCPs | |||
| Type of PCP | .39 | ||
| • Family physician | 160 (85.1) | 4722 (87.2) | |
| • Nurse practitioner | 28 (14.9) | 691 (12.8) | |
| Sex | .006 | ||
| • Male | 56 (29.8) | 1160 (21.4) | |
| • Female | 132 (70.2) | 4253 (78.6) | |
| Practice location | .48 | ||
| • Urban | 161 (85.6) | 4731 (87.4) | |
| • Rural | 27 (14.4) | 682 (12.6) | |
| Patients | |||
| Sex | .03 | ||
| • Male | 84 (44.7) | 2007 (37.1) | |
| • Female | 104 (55.3) | 3406 (62.9) | |
| Age, y | .90 | ||
| • 0–17 | 26 (13.8) | 793 (14.6) | |
| • 18–64 | 123 (65.4) | 3454 (63.8) | |
| • ≥ 65 | 39 (20.7) | 1166 (21.5) |
eConsults—electronic consultations, PCP—primary care provider.
↵* Percentages might not add to 100 owing to rounding.
↵† Refers to close-out survey responses to question 2 in which PCPs selected the option-4 answer: Referral was not originally contemplated but the eConsult process resulted in a referral being initiated (Figure 1).
↵‡ Refers to close-out survey responses to question 2 in which PCPs selected any other answer but option 4 (Figure 1).
↵§
2 test.
