Quality demands of patients with regard to e-consult in primary care

Background: Ideally, e-consult systems should satisfy the quality demands and needs of groups most at risk, like the lower educated or elderly patients and those, who frequently use medication or frequently visit their general practitioner [1].

Objective: To examine the quality demands with regard to the use of secure e-consult of various health consumer groups that currently use internet.

Methods: Data were collected using an internet based questionnaire. We assessed attitude to e-consult, demanded service quality and those needs that are important in the empowerment of patients by means of five point rating scales. We further assessed age, level of education, chronic use of medication (e.g. for asthma or diabetes) and frequency of GP visits.

Results: Of 765 respondents sufficient data were available for statistical analysis, 472 females (62%) and 291 males (38%). In comparison to younger respondents, respondents older than 45 year demanded more service quality from e-consult (P = .01), perceived a higher need of careful use of e-consult (P = .001), a higher need to use e-consult to support direct (P = .001) and indirect control of care (P = .001) and a higher need to use e-consult to support control of information (P = .005). Respondents with a lower level of education (below college level) had a significantly more negative attitude to e-consult (P = .001), demanded a higher level of service quality from e-consult (P = .001), perceived a higher need of careful use of e-consult (P = .001), a higher need to use e-consult to support direct (P = .001) and indirect control of care (P = .001) and a higher need to use e-consult to support control of information (P = .002). Chronic users of medication had a significantly more negative attitude to e-consult (P = .05), demanded a higher level of service quality from e-consult (P = .003), perceived a higher need of careful use of e-consult (P = .004) and a higher need to use e-consult to support direct control of care (P = .001). Patients who frequently visited their GP (at least once every three month), had a significantly more negative attitude to e-consult (P = .05), demanded a higher level of service quality from e-consult (P = .002) and perceived a higher need to use e-consult to support direct control of care (P = .04). Respondents, who did not frequently visit their GP (at least once every three month), perceived a higher need to use e-consult for convenience (P = .002).