ABSTRACT Background Limited research exists on the performance of dermatology electronic consults (eConsults) in pediatric emergency departments (PEDs). Objective To compare dermatology eConsults and in‐person consults from a PED based on (1) note completion time and (2) diagnostic concordance with in‐person dermatology evaluations. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of dermatology consults in a children's hospital PED between February 2020 and June 2024. Time elapsed between consult request and note completion was compared for eConsults versus in‐person consults using t ‐tests. We assessed diagnostic concordance between initial consult and follow‐up in‐person dermatology evaluation using chi‐square analysis. Results A total of 1118 consults were included (315 eConsults, 803 in‐person consults), with 514 cases (135 eConsults, 379 in‐person) having follow‐up in‐person dermatology evaluations. eConsults had a significantly faster mean time to note completion (1.94 vs. 4.70 h, p < 0.001). Diagnostic concordance rates did not significantly differ for full (77.0% vs. 73.9%), partial (20.0% vs. 23.2%), and non‐concordance (3.0% vs. 2.9%) between eConsults and in‐person consults, respectively ( p = 0.75). Limitations Retrospective nature and single‐institution dataset. Conclusion As implemented in our PED, pediatric dermatology eConsults were faster than, and as diagnostically concordant as, in‐person consults.
Horn et al. (Sun,) studied this question.