Just a click away: exploring patients’ perspectives on receiving care through the Champlain BASETM eConsult service

Background:Excessive wait times for specialist care can have a substantial negative impact on health outcomes. The Champlain BASETM (Building Access to Specialists through eConsultation) eConsult service based in Ottawa, Canada has demonstrated the ability to improve patients' access to specialist care. Objective:We interviewed patients who were treated using eConsult in order to explore their attitudes towards the service and their experiences of receiving care via the service. Methods:We conducted a thematic analysis of patient interviews using a constant comparative approach. Patients whose primary care providers used the eConsult service in their care were contacted by telephone between June 2015 and January 2016 and completed 15-min semi-structured interviews. Results:Of 43 contacted participants, 30 completed interviews (70%). Over half of all respondents (n = 16) reported receiving a follow-up call or appointment within 1 week, and 26 stated that eConsult was useful in their case. Participants unanimously agreed that eConsult was an acceptable way to access specialist care, and 29 stated that they would ask their primary care provider to use eConsult on their behalf in the future. Three themes emerged from the thematic analysis of patient comments: access, acceptability of eConsult and strengthened role of the primary care provider. Conclusions:Patients expressed acceptance for eConsult as a model for improving access to specialist care, had largely positive experiences with it as a model of care delivery, and supported its use in their future care.