communication

The Bottom Line
Learning to call effective consults that will facilitate faster dispositions for our patients is an essential skill for every emergency physician to master
Using the 5C framework is an effective way to both model, and teach effective consultation
Leading your consult call with a specific question will make the call a lot easier. If you are about to deliver 20 data points, and your consultant only needs 5, they will be able to pick those 5 from the 20 you offer them, but only if they know the question up front. This will save you from having to repeat these data points to the consultant
More attention needs to be paid to the way we arrange consultations, as they can be a significant source of frustration, conflict, and job dissatisfaction if not performed efficiently and correctly.