Can digital pre-consultation save medical time and improve outcome in cardiology?

Waiting time for cardiology consultations is constantly increasing and can compromise the diagnosis of urgent cases. Pre-entering patient data using digital e-health tools may optimize the care path and increase the available medical time. Objectives We aimed to analyze the patient's risk profile before the medical appointment ( Fig. 1 ), to estimate the average time saved for each consultation, and to test whether this data could modify the medical decisions. Methods A web-based interface allowed patients to report their data and calculate a risk score. Seventy five patients were included. The total list of questions was composed of 48 items ( Fig. 1 ). The referent cardiologist timed the duration of each questionnaire and reported if the early analysis of patient's information would change the healthcare path (identification of an emergency or a need for an additional test prior to consultation). Results Patients (54 ± 9 years; 63% male) data availability is summarized in Fig. 1 , with an average of 27 questions (56 ± 9% of total). The time necessary for each patient's questionnaire was 5 min 10 s (± 1 min 06 s). For 1800 consultations/year/cardiologist, this potentially represents 160 hours of extra medical time. Early data analysis identified 20 patients (27%) who would benefit from an additional test prior to consultation, including 5 patients with suspected coronary disease. However, the majority of patients needed assistance to complete the information. Conculsions (1) Digital pre-consultation can significantly reduce each medical examination and increase the available medical time. (2) If analyzed beforehand, this data combined with artificial intelligence algorithms can change the care path and may influence prognosis. (3) Improved ergonomics, interface and user experience are important issues to ensure effective use of e-health platforms and data quality. (4) The pre-consultation process may be coupled and enhanced using complementary tele-consultation.