Marco Ibáñez A, Aguilar Palacio I, Aibar Remón C. [Evaluation of virtual consultation by primary care professionals: quality dimensions and opportunities for improvement].
Aten Primaria 2024;
56:102818. [PMID:
38043173 PMCID:
PMC10703594 DOI:
10.1016/j.aprim.2023.102818]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
To know the opinion of Aragon primary care physicians about virtual consultation and its impact on the different healthcare quality domains.
DESIGN
Cross-sectional study through a self-developed survey. Data collection was enabled from April 14th to May 31st, 2023. SITE: Physicians with healthcare duties in primary care in Aragon.
PARTICIPANTS
Specialist physicians and resident interns in Family and Community Medicine.
MEANSUREMENTS
Job characteristics, Likert variables assessing virtual consultation as a tool and its impact on healthcare quality domains, identification of advantages and disadvantages, and free answer questions proposing improvement strategies.
RESULTS
202 responses. 90.1% of participants consider virtual consultation useful, while 67.8% believe that it improves the quality of referrals. The main advantages identified are its contribution to professional enrichment and the integral visión of the patient, and the improvement of communication between the primary and secondary levels of care; the main drawback is the role of Primary Care as an intermediary in patient information. Efficiency and equity were the most highly rated quality domains, with safety being the least valued.
CONCLUSIONS
Virtual consultation can promote communication and coordination of care, and enhance the primary care resolution capacity. Its success relies on training and time for its use, as well as on reaching a consensus on protocols and to homogenize resource distribution. Nevertheless, there are still opportunities for improvement, mainly in the realm of safety.
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