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The eReferal Community of Practice (CoP) members are committed to sharing the outcomes of these sessions with all external parties.
January 2025 Recap
Published: February 2025
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On January 28, 2025, the eReferral Community of Practice CoP came together to collaboratively discuss eReferral Forms Standardization and share experiences and insights from across the country. This page outlines the group's discussions. |
To set the stage for the discussion, the eReferral CoP session started with a ‘fireside chat’ with a Specialist and Primary Care Clinician. The Specialist identified one current challenge with the existing referral process as the quality of the referral forms. The triage process heavily relies on the quality of information in referral forms, which is often inconsistent or inadequate. The Primary Care Clinician shared his insights on the importance of technology integration with multiple vendors to ensure a consistent experience. Standardized forms decrease the mental load on primary care by ensuring the same information is requested in a consistent format, regardless of which specialist is being referred to.
Standardized eReferral forms can significantly improve the triaging process for receivers as well as reduce administrative burden for primary care. By ensuring every eReferral is asking the same questions and the specialist is receiving all the relevant information necessary to appropriately triage each patient, the overall referral experience is improved for patients and clinicians.
The members of the eReferral CoP outlined the benefits of transitioning to eReferral Forms Standardization across Canada.
Improves quality of triage without increasing burden
Improves relationship between Primary Care and Specialists
Enhances collaboration within eReferral process
Minimizes administrative work / governance compared to several unique forms
Clear decision points for triaging to Specialists
Allows clinicians to better manage patients' expectations
Helps Primary Care Clinicians create a better story for their patient
Limits bias
Encourages dialogue between Primary Care Clinicians and Specialists
Ensures that the right questions lead to the right actions
Reduces variability between Specialists
Values input from various stakeholders
Encourages standardized information that can be fed into AI models
The members of the eReferral CoP outlined the 4 most anticipated challenges when transitioning to eReferral Forms Standardization across Canada.
Journal Article: Codesigned standardised referral form: simplifying the complexity
Have questions? Complete this submission form and a member of the eReferral CoP will respond as soon as possible. Note: Some questions may require discussion and will be presented at a future quarterly eReferral CoP meeting.
If you are just looking to stay informed on the eReferral CoP meeting topic, an update will be available following each quarterly session.
