Effect of a Multi-specialty E-consultation Service on Hospital Referrals: An Interrupted Time-Series Study in the Netherlands

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The study evaluates the impact of e-consultations on hospital referral rates in the Netherlands using a quasi-experimental design.
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E-consultations allow family physicians to communicate asynchronously with specialists, potentially reducing hospital referrals.
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Data were collected from 56 family practices covering 190,000 patients, focusing on 11 hospital specialties.
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The analysis compared referral trends before and after e-consultation implementation, controlling for seasonal variations.
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This research is the first large-scale, multi-specialty evaluation of e-consultations' effects on healthcare utilization in Europe.

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