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SPECIALIST ADVICE IS ONLY A CLICK AWAY
Dr. Clare Liddy helps Canadians access specialist expertise quickly
- When she heard that a patient was told they would need to wait nine months to see an endocrinologist, Dr. Clare Liddy knew the system needed to change.
Long wait times for specialist care have become a growing challenge across Canada, leaving patients waiting months, or even years, for answers, treatment, and support.
“Delays create unnecessary stress for patients already navigating complex health concerns,” says Dr. Clare Liddy, Senior Investigator with Bruyère Health Research Institute and the Co-founder of eConsult. “We wanted to reimagine how primary care providers could access expert advice quickly, securely, and without requiring every patient to rely on an in-person referral.”
That vision became eConsult, a secure web-based platform that allows physicians and nurse practitioners to rapidly connect with specialists across a wide range of disciplines.
Connecting primary care with specialist expertise
- Beginning with a pilot project in the Champlain region, the eConsult platform evolved into a provincially funded eServices program across Ontario, with expansion into multiple provinces and territories across Canada.
Today, primary care providers can access over 150 unique specialty services, including endocrinology, dermatology, genetics, geriatrics, chronic pain, and so many more.
Nearly 900,000 requests to specialists have been submitted in Ontario alone since the service’s inception in 2011. In nearly half of cases, a referral was avoided altogether because the advice received through eConsult allowed patients to continue receiving care directly within primary care settings.
“For patients, eConsult can mean faster answers, fewer unnecessary appointments, and more coordinated care close to home,” says Dr. Liddy.
"We wanted to reimagine how primary care providers could access expert advice quickly, securely, and without requiring every patient to rely on an in-person referral."
Dr. Clare Liddy
Senior Investigator, Bruyère Health Research Institute
Co-founder of eConsult
A model that can strengthen care
- eConsult’s innovative model of care can also help improve health equity for underserved populations, including residents in long-term care homes and people living with chronic pain or dementia. Dr. Liddy is part of a team that is examining the specific needs and gaps in care for people living with dementia to strengthen integration, uptake, and scale-up of eConsult. By connecting providers more efficiently, the platform can help ensure expertise reaches patients who might otherwise face barriers to care because of geography, mobility, or limited local resources.
Not only is it a win for patients, but the research team behind eConsult is leveraging the platform as an educational initiative for providers. By studying how the platform is used over the years, the team has identified common knowledge gaps and are responding to the greatest needs by addressing them upfront through educational initiatives.
Now, they are exploring how artificial intelligence could further support the platform by helping respond to common clinical questions and improving access to specialist guidance. Their recent work on an AI needs assessment survey for specialists and a review of current policies regarding the use of AI in clinical care will help inform best practice guidelines for the safe and effective use of AI in eConsult.
“No patient should fall through the cracks,” says Dr. Liddy. “I believe the model we developed in Ottawa is a model for the world, combining technology, science, and health care expertise to address some of our most pressing health care challenges.”
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