ASGE Annual GI Advanced Practice Provider Course (Virtual) (Day One) | March 2026-Mastering the GI Consult: Clinical and Communication Excellence Inpatient and Outpatient

Pdf Summary

This document outlines how to deliver high-quality gastroenterology (GI) consultations by combining structured clinical reasoning with excellent communication in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Because GI is frequently consulted, an effective consult service improves patient outcomes, reduces unnecessary procedures, increases efficiency, and builds trust with referring teams.<br /><br />An excellent GI consult starts with clearly defining the consult question—what decision the primary team needs help making (e.g., “Does this anemia require endoscopy?”). If the question cannot be stated in one sentence, it is not yet clear. Consultants should then perform rapid chart reconnaissance before seeing the patient, focusing on trends rather than isolated values (hemoglobin trajectory, liver test patterns), key imaging findings, medications (NSAIDs, anticoagulants, GLP-1 agents, hepatotoxic drugs), prior GI diagnoses, and prior endoscopy/pathology.<br /><br />Communication excellence includes directly answering the consult question with a clear, actionable plan: diagnosis, next steps, and timing. Consult notes should be focused, avoid copy-forward content, and highlight relevant history, hemodynamics, critical labs, and a targeted review of systems and exam. The guiding purpose of documentation is to tell the primary team what to do next.<br /><br />Patient communication is equally emphasized. Patients want clarity about what is happening, what testing is needed, and risks. Consultants should introduce themselves, make eye contact, minimize distractions, use understandable language, show empathy, and explain procedures simply and briefly. Teaching should be embedded into consults—one practical pearl per case—to promote clinical reasoning without criticizing the primary team.<br /><br />The document contrasts inpatient consults (rapid, acute decisions, multidisciplinary coordination) with outpatient consults (diagnostic uncertainty, long-term management, relationship building). Sample cases illustrate organizing assessments and separating plans by problem, with explicit follow-up and safety-net instructions. Overall, the goal of a GI consult is problem-solving and elevating team care—not just performing procedures.

Asset Subtitle

Sarah Kosinski, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, and Sumeet K. Tewani, MD, FASGE

Keywords

gastroenterology consultation

GI consult service

structured clinical reasoning

consult question clarification

chart reconnaissance

endoscopy decision-making

inpatient vs outpatient consults

consult note documentation

interprofessional communication

patient-centered communication