Current situation of otoscopy in general practice in China / 中华全科医师杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate current situation of otoscope use by practitioners at community health-care service facilities in Hainan and Shenzhen and explore its importance and feasibility of spread of its use in community health-care service facilities in China.Methods Group discussion, telephone personal interview, otoscope market survey and literature research all were used among 112 practitioners at 67 community health-care service facilities in Hainan, 47 practitioners at 23 community health-care service facilities in Shenzhen, Guangdong, and 11 representatives involved in general practice training from 11 districts.Results In Hainan, only one community health-care service facility ( 1.5% ) was equipped with otoscopes and only one practitioner (0.9% ) could use it.In Shenzhen, two community health-care service facilities (8.7%) were equipped with it, but which had never be used.All the practitioners at community health-care service facilities surveyed have not been trained for its use, so most practitioners there did not have basic skills to use otoscope.Conclusions Otoscope is not equipped at most community health-care service facilities in Hainan and Shenzhen, and it is little used there even equipped with it.Otoscopy should be used as an adequate and feasible technique at community health-care service and be spread among general practitioners in China.