Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare > Volume 14, Number 7 > Pp. 377-380

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RESEARCH Original articles

Teleconsultation – collaborative work and opportunities for learning across organizational boundaries

Line Lundvoll Nilsen ^*   and Anne Moen 

^* University Hospital of North Norway, Norwegian Centre for Telemedicine, Tromsø; University of Tromsø, Tromsø; InterMedia, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

Correspondence: Line Lundvoll Nilsen, University Hospital of North Norway, Norwegian Centre for Telemedicine, PO Box 35, N-9038 Tromsø, Norway (Fax: +47 77 65 40 99; Email: line.lundvoll.nilsen{at}telemed.no)

Over a period of five months we observed teleconsultations between general practitioners (GPs) in community care and specialists in hospitals in two Norwegian health regions (A and B). In total, 47 teleconsultations between GPs and specialists were recorded. In region A, teleconsultations were organized when needed to discuss specific medical problems. In region B, teleconsultations took place during the specialists' daily morning meeting. The teleconsultations lasted for 5–40 min. There were three categories of talk. In the first two there was information exchange for patient updates and practical organization of the service. The third category, consultation, was the communicative process in which the GP and the specialist engaged in collaborative work, primarily discussing medical problems related to decision-making in patient care. Regular use of teleconsultation opens access to different repertoires of knowledge and experience, and brings knowledge to the point of patient care and medical decision-making.

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