Prospective comparison of curbside versus formal consultations.
BACKGROUND
Curbside consultations are commonly requested during the care of hospitalized patients, but physicians perceive that the recommendations provided may be based on inaccurate or incomplete information.


OBJECTIVE
To compare the accuracy and completeness of the information received from providers requesting a curbside consultation of hospitalists with that obtained in a formal consultation on the same patients, and to examine whether the recommendations offered in the 2 consultations differed.


METHODS
Prospective cohort.


METHODS
University-affiliated, urban safety net hospital.


METHODS
Proportion of curbside consultations with inaccurate or incomplete information; frequency with which recommendations in the formal consultation differed from those in the curbside consultation.


RESULTS
Curbside consultations were requested for 50 patients, 47 of which were also evaluated in a formal consultation performed on the same day by a hospitalist other than the one performing the curbside consultation. Based on information collected in the formal consultation, information was either inaccurate or incomplete in 24/47 (51%) of the curbside consultations. Management advice after formal consultation differed from that given in the curbside consultation for 28/47 patients (60%). When inaccurate or incomplete information was received, the advice provided in the formal versus the curbside consultation differed in 22/24 patients (92%, P < 0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Information presented during inpatient curbside consultations of hospitalists is often inaccurate or incomplete, and this often results in inaccurate management advice.
Department of Medicine, Denver Health, Denver, Colorado, USA. Marisha.Burden@dhha.org
Marisha
M
Burden
Ellen
E
Sarcone
Angela
A
Keniston
Barbara
B
Statland
Julie A
JA
Taub
Rebecca L
RL
Allyn
Mark B
MB
Reid
Lilia
L
Cervantes
Maria G
MG
Frank
Nicholas
N
Scaletta
Philip
P
Fung
Smitha R
SR
Chadaga
Katarzyna
K
Mastalerz
Nancy
N
Maller
Margherita
M
Mascolo
Jeff
J
Zoucha
Jessica
J
Campbell
Mary P
MP
Maher
Sarah A
SA
Stella
Richard K
RK
Albert
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003120:Colorado; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006786:Hospitals, Urban; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000379:methods; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data