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Consulting at the Curb |
| Curbside Consult, a term coined years ago, refers to an informal request for a clinical opinion. Why not ask a friendly question of your friendly colleague if you are unsure of your actions? The answer: because it might become a patient safety issue. A recent article in the Journal of Hospital Medicine studied the results of hospitalist curbside consults. They found inaccurate or incomplete information was communicated 51% of the time during informal consultations, and 60% of the management plans changed after a formal consultation. Should curbside consults thus be banned? One leader in healthcare safety, Bob Wachter, argues that a ban would only decrease communication and increase bureaucracy. Clearly, this is a subject needing more thought and research. |
