Impact of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic on private ENT consulting practice during the first month of lockdown in Réunion Island in 2020.
Eur Ann Otorhinolaryngol Head Neck Dis
; 137(4): 251-256, 2020 Sep.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-612302
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
To analyze the impact of the first month of lockdown related to the 2020 SARS-Cov-2 epidemic on the consulting activity of private ENT physicians in Réunion Island. MATERIAL ANDMETHODS:
A multicenter prospective study analyzed the consulting activity of 12 ENT physicians in full-time private practice. The main endpoints were the number, characteristics and conditions of consultations. Secondary endpoints comprised presenting symptoms, diagnosis, prescriptions, adverse effects, and progression of monthly consulting turnover.RESULTS:
Six hundred and ninety three consultations were performed during the study period (Appendix 1), with 50% emergency consultations. In 57.9% were face-to-face, 28.4% by phone and 13.7% video. In face-to-face consultation, the physician wore gloves in 53.8% of cases and a mask in 92.2% surgical mask in 71.6% of cases and FFP2 in 28.4%. The three most frequent symptoms (48.5% of cases) were otalgia, hearing impairment, and vertigo. The three most frequent diagnoses (60.6% of cases) were otitis, intra-auricular foreign body (including wax), and pharyngeal infection. The three most frequently prescribed complementary exams (74.3% of cases) were imaging, hearing work-up, and specialist opinion. The three most frequently prescribed treatments (52.7% of cases) were intra-auricular drops, oral antibiotics, and nasal spray. The incidence of adverse effects was 0.001%. None of the physicians or patients seemed to have been infected by Covid-19 during the study period. There was a 47.3-91% (median, 75.6%) drop in monthly consultation turnover.CONCLUSION:
The present study underscored the availability and adaptability of ENT physicians in the Réunion Island in an epidemic context, although economic impact was detrimental.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Otolaryngology
/
Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases
/
Pneumonia, Viral
/
Private Practice
/
Quarantine
/
Coronavirus Infections
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Diagnostic study
/
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Child
/
Child, preschool
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Infant
/
Male
Language:
English
Journal:
Eur Ann Otorhinolaryngol Head Neck Dis
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
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