Timeline of development and implementation of Inpatient eConsult Programme
| Activity | 01/02/2020 | 08/02/2020 | 15/02/2020 | 22/02/2020 | 29/02/2020 | 07/03/2020 | 14/03/2020 | 21/03/2020 | 28/03/2020 | 04/04/2020 | 11/04/2020 | 18/04/2020 | 25/04/2020 | 02/05/2020 | 09/05/2020 | 16/05/2020 | 23/05/2020 |
| Workflow defining and refining | |||||||||||||||||
| EHR build | |||||||||||||||||
| Documentation | |||||||||||||||||
| Billing | |||||||||||||||||
| Consult ordering* | |||||||||||||||||
| eConsult options made available† | |||||||||||||||||
| Infectious diseases | |||||||||||||||||
| Cycle 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Cycle 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Ad hoc addition | |||||||||||||||||
| Training and communication about new eConsult programme | |||||||||||||||||
| Specialists | |||||||||||||||||
| Frontline teams | |||||||||||||||||
| Feedback and assessment of outcomes | |||||||||||||||||
| Specialists | |||||||||||||||||
| Frontline teams | |||||||||||||||||
Shaded boxes indicate when tasks were accomplished.
*Consult ordering: initially frontline providers had a choice between in-person consult or eConsult orders. The workflow then allowed specialists to convert one request to the other depending on patient needs. Finally, a unified consult order was developed in which frontline providers could select their choice of consult and allowed specialists to default to in-person consult if needed.
†eConsult options: (cycle 1) Cardiology, Dermatology, Endocrinology, Diabetes, Nephrology, Pulmonary Medicine, Rheumatology; (cycle 2) Haematology, Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Palliative Care, Psychiatry, Pain Medicine, Thrombosis; (Ad Hoc) Allergy and Immunology, Cytokine Storm Syndrome, Oncology, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Rehabilitation Medicine, Urology
EHR, electronic health record.