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Can an advanced audiologyâled service reduce waiting times for paediatric ear nose and throat outpatient services?
- Source :
- Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. 57:268-272
- Publication Year :
- 2020
- Publisher :
- Wiley, 2020.
-
Abstract
- Aim Children with middle ear disease often experience lengthy delays waiting for outpatient paediatric ear nose and throat (ENT) services. This study aimed to investigate whether an alternative service delivery model using audiologists working in an expanded scope of practice reduced waiting times for children to access such services. Methods A total of 131 children consecutively referred to a large ENT outpatient service in Queensland, Australia, for middle ear and hearing concerns were prospectively allocated to either a standard ENT service or an advanced audiology (AA)-led service. Waiting times and attendance rates were collected and compared between the two patient groups. Results The median waiting time from referral to first offered appointment was 96 days for children in the AA-led service versus 417.5 days for children in the standard ENT service. Seventy-nine percent of children in the AA-led service attended their first offered appointment versus 61% in the standard ENT service. For children receiving grommets, the median waiting time from initial referral to grommet insertion was 226 days for children in the AA-led service versus 627 days for children in the standard ENT service. Conclusion The AA-led service was an effective alternative pathway to reduce waiting times for children referred to ENT services with middle ear and hearing concerns.
- Subjects :
- Waiting time
Service (business)
medicine.medical_specialty
Scope of practice
Waiting Lists
Referral
Service delivery framework
Ear nose and throat
business.industry
Australia
Attendance
Audiology
medicine.anatomical_structure
Outpatients
Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health
Ambulatory Care
otorhinolaryngologic diseases
Middle ear
Humans
Pharynx
Medicine
Queensland
Child
business
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 14401754 and 10344810
- Volume :
- 57
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....46253cc53b3bce85219a325a6ed02fc6