ENT Telephone Clinics During the Coronavirus Pandemic: An Analysis of 400 Telephone Consultations at a District General Hospital

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader ENT Telephone Clinics During the Coronavirus Pandemic: An Analysis of 400 Telephone Consultations at a District General Hospital Via ear nose throat Ear Nose Throat J. 2021 Jun 25:1455613211028091. doi: 10.1177/01455613211028091. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic led to the introduction of telephone consultations in order to provide specialist health care remotely. This study analyses the outcomes of ear, nose, and throat (ENT) telephone consultations. METHODS: Retrospective analysis was undertaken of 400 ENT telephone consultations. RESULTS: All 2-week-wait neck or face lump p atients underwent imaging and 78% were successfully discharged. 80% of vertigo patients and 100% of 2-week-wait throat symptom patients were offered face-to-face consultations. All primary hyperparathyroidism patients were managed remotely, being discharged, or with telephone follow-up. The majority of routine referrals were managed without the need for face-to-face consultation. CONCLUSION: Vertigo patients and 2-week-wait throat symptom patients should be offered a face-to-face consultation in the first instance. For patients with neck or face lumps, initial referral for imaging may improve patient flow and facilitate safe discharge. It is appropriate to continue with telephone consultations for all other patient groups. PMID:34167356 | DOI:10.1177/01455613211028091 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.