Analysis of Postoperative Outcomes and Economic Behavior Trends of Tympanoplasty and Mastoidectomy With Expansion of High Deductible Health Plans.

HYPOTHESIS: With rising deductibles, patients will delay ear surgeries toward the end of the year, and there will be an increase in postoperative complications. BACKGROUND: The Affordable Care Act (ACA), passed on March 23, 2010, expanded high deductible health plans. The deductible can provide support for patients with high medical costs, but high deductibles deter patients from seeking necessary preventive health care and having elective procedures. Patients may defer care toward the end of the year until the deductible is met. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationship between expanding high deductible health plans and the repeal of the ACA's individual mandate on December 22, 2017, with the economic behavior trends of tympanoplasty and mastoidectomy in the fiscal year and surgical outcomes. METHODS: TriNetX was used to obtain summary statistics of patients who had tympanoplasty and/or mastoidectomy from 58 health care organizations. TriNetX is a global federated database that contains de-identified patient data from the electronic medical records of participating health care institutions. This study evaluated the trends in ear surgeries from 2005 to 2021 in the fiscal quarters 1 and 4. Relative risk of developing postoperative complications was statistically interrogated. RESULTS: The average rate of ear surgeries measured in cases/year was higher in Quarter 4 than in Quarter 1 after the expansion of higher deductible health plans (180; 124; p < 0.0001). After the repeal of the ACA's individual mandate, the rate of ear surgeries in Quarter 4 significantly decreased compared to post-ACA (-3.7; 287; p = 0.0002). No statistically significant differences were notable in postoperative complications. CONCLUSIONS: The expansion of high deductible health plans with a rise in deductibles is associated with an increase in ear surgeries toward the end of the year. The repeal of the ACA's individual mandate is associated with a decreased rate of ear surgeries compared to post-ACA implementation. Despite financial concern, there was no increase in postoperative complications toward the end of the year.

Evaluation of Disturbances in Hearing, Tinnitus, and Dizziness as Signs of COVID-19 Infection.

BACKGROUND: There have been reports and studies indicating audiovestibular disturbances in COVID-19 patients with variations in the percentage of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). The purpose of this study is to compare the incidence of newly diagnosed SNHL, sudden idiopathic hearing loss (SIHL), tinnitus, and vestibular disturbances between infected and uninfected patients, as well as to identify population groups at risk. METHODS: This study used TriNetX to obtain statistics on COVID-19 (+) and COVID-19 (-) patients from 61 healthcare organizations. Propensity score with 1:1 matching was used to control confounding variables. This study evaluated the relative risk of developing audiovestibular disturbances up to 1 month after a COVID-19 test and further investigated the incidence in COVID-19 (+) subset groups. RESULTS: Between COVID-19 (+) and COVID-19 (-) patients who had an audiogram, there was no statistically significant difference in SNHL or SIHL (SNHL: relative risk [RR] = 0.69, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.46-1.04; SIHL: RR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.42-2.40). Race/ethnicity or specified comorbidity did not affect the incidence of SNHL or SIHL. There was a statistically significant difference in tinnitus and vestibular disturbances between the COVID-19 (+) and the COVID-19 (-) groups (RR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.01-1.66; RR = 2.33, 95% CI = 2.19-2.48). CONCLUSION: New onset hearing loss is not more common in patients with a positive COVID-19 test than those with a negative COVID-19 test. Audiologic evaluation is needed to verify reported hearing disturbances. Although statistically significant in specific population groups, tinnitus and vestibular disturbances may not be clinically significant due to the low incidence.

Blepharoconjunctivitis and Otolaryngological Disease Trends in the Context of Mask Wearing during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

(1) Purpose: In 2020, wearing of face masks was mandated in the United States in an effort to lessen transmission of the novel 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic; however, long-term mask wearing may present with unintended side-effects in both ophthalmic and otolaryngologic clinical practice. This study aims to examine if mask wearing increased the incidence of primarily chalazion, blepharoconjunctivitis, and rhinitis occurrence during the mask-mandated COVID-19 pandemic period. (2) Methods: Medical records from tertiary academic center clinics were analyzed for incidence of ophthalmic and otolaryngologic diagnoses of interest (blepharoconjunctivitis- and rhinitis-related disorders). Data were collected from a pre-pandemic (March 2019-February 2020) and a mid-pandemic window (March 2020-February 2021) during which widespread mask mandates were implemented in Texas. Comparison was performed using a t-test analysis between incidence of chosen diagnoses during the described time periods. (3) Results: Incidence of ophthalmic disorders (primarily blepharoconjunctivitis and chalazion) in the pre-pandemic versus mid-pandemic windows did show a significant difference (p-value of 0.048). Similarly, comparison of otolaryngologic diagnoses (primarily rhinitis and related conditions) between the two time periods showed a significant difference (p-value of 0.044) as well. (4) Conclusion: Incidence of the chosen ophthalmic and otolaryngologic disorders did increase during periods of mask mandates. While these findings are preliminary, further studies are warranted to understand other factors that may have played a role in eye and nose pathology.

Bisphosphonate therapy in otosclerosis: A scoping review.

OBJECTIVE: Otosclerosis, a leading cause of deafness in adults, results from defective bone remodeling of the otic capsule. Bisphosphonates have been used to decrease bone remolding in many diseases, including otosclerosis. This study analyzes whether current literature supports bisphosphonate therapy as an effective treatment for otosclerosis. DESIGN: Scoping review. METHODS: A search was performed in three electronic databases; PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Control Trials. Articles were screened independently by two masked reviewers based on prespecified inclusion and exclusion criteria. After unmasking, the two reviewers resolved discrepancies through discussion. RESULTS: From the search, 35 unique articles were identified for analysis. The dates of these publications range from 1982 to 2018. Further title and full-text review identified six articles for inclusion in this review. Three of the studies included are randomized controlled trials (RCT)s, and three are retrospective case reviews. These studies analyzed bisphosphonate therapy regimens, but dose and study length varied, making direct comparisons difficult. Only one RCT study was able to show a statistically significant change between patients treated with bisphosphonates compared to a control group. CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy of bisphosphonates for halting bone remodeling in otosclerosis remains unclear. Reviewing the literature, we found significant variations in experimental design and few studies of high-level evidence. Future RCTs investigating therapies for otosclerosis are needed before a firm conclusion about bisphosphonates efficacy as a pharmacological treatment of otosclerosis.Level of Evidence: 3a.

Gamification in otolaryngology: A narrative review.

INTRODUCTION: The medical field has incorporated gamification elements into education platforms over the past decade. The standard definition for gamification that has been adopted by most research studies is the addition of game elements and game mechanics within a platform to enhance user engagement. In this review, seven established, consolidated components, as well as an additional new or novel component, will be evaluated: a point system/leaderboards, question banks or gradable content, social interaction with other participants, leaderboards, progress or levels, immediate feedback, badges/icons or a reward system, and the novel component, a story line. METHODS: Two reviewers searched MEDLINE, Cochrane, PsycINFO, Web of Knowledge, and the Nursing Registry. This review compares the one identified otolaryngology study with current residency education gamification practices within the medical field.The authors searched "residency AND gamification", "residency AND video games", and "residency AND games". After applying exclusion criteria, the 13 remaining studies included a procedure, questions/scenarios, and at least three gamification elements. RESULTS: Across the 13 studies, the average number of included gamification elements was higher than the minimum threshold of three (3.84). Ten of the studies incorporated leaderboards, feedback, and social interaction; eight incorporated a question bank; and four incorporated progress bars, rewards, and story lines. The otolaryngology study incorporated four of the gamification components: a point system, instant feedback/solution after a question was answered, player-to-player communication, and a leaderboard. CONCLUSION: Review of the current literature found that the medical field has limited research regarding the use of gamification in educational platforms. Despite many simulation studies and attempts at gamification, the medical community has not fully embraced gamification within residency education. In closing, the medical education community should establish a definition of "gamification" and survey residency programs to identify desired gamification elements.