title: Evaluation of the use of an "ask-the-expert" e-consultation service for support on health-related requests.
abstract: E-consultation in health care can be used to respond to an increasing demand for care by offering support on health-related requests. In this study we evaluated the use of an "ask-the-expert" e-consultation service in order to assess whether the service is efficient and useful. A content analysis of e-mail exchange between clients and online health professionals was performed to gain insight in the purposes of use of the service. Our findings show that the e-consultation service was used for health requests on not urgent, minor ailments. Clients asked for health information to increase knowledge on the cause of their injury or disease, its consequences, possible self-care solutions and treatment options. Decision support on assessing the necessity to visit a doctor for a certain health problem was another important reason to use the service. We believe that web-based triage systems could be used to more easily assess whether certain symptoms need to be investigated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Communication of Health Risk, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands. n.nijland@utwente.nl
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nijland
authors.forename: J E W C
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: van Gemert-Pijnen
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Kelders
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Brandenburg
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Seydel
mesh_terms: D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D034742:Electronic Mail; D058015:Health Communication; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012648:Self Care