Delivery of remote otology care: a UK pilot feasibility study.
BMJ Open Qual
; 11(1)2022 02.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1685601
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
The COVID-19 pandemic has catalysed the need to implement the National Health Service Long-Term Plan to deliver more care in the community and to reduce face-to-face hospital appointments by up to 33%. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of a remote otology service from triage through to delivery.METHODS:
New adult otology referrals at a tertiary ear, nose and throat (ENT) hospital aged between 18 and 70 with hearing loss or tinnitus were included. Patients attended an audiology-led community clinic where they underwent a focused history, audiometric testing, and a smartphone-based application and otoscope (Tympa System) was used to capture still and video images of their eardrums. The information was reviewed by ENT clinicians using a remote review platform with a subset of patients subsequently undergoing an in-person review to measure concordance between the two assessments.RESULTS:
58 patients participated. 75% of patients had their pathways shortened by one hospital visit with 65% avoiding any hospital attendances. 24% required an additional face-to-face appointment due to incomplete views of the tympanic membrane or need for additional examinations. Electronic validation by a blinded consultant otologist demonstrated a diagnosis concordance of 95%, and concordance between remote-review and in-person consultations in the 12 patients who agreed to attend for an in-person review was 83.3%. 98% of patients were satisfied with the pathway.CONCLUSION:
This pilot service is feasible, safe and non-inferior to the traditional outpatient model in the included patient group. There is potential for the development of a community audiology-led service or use for general practioner advice and guidance.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Otolaryngology
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Prognostic study
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Aged
/
Humans
/
Middle aged
/
Young adult
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
English
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Bmjoq-2021-001444
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