Parental satisfaction with an advanced audiology-led triage service in paediatric ENT outpatient clinics

Area of Science:

• Pediatric audiology
• Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) services
• Healthcare management

Background:

• Children referred to Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) services for middle ear or hearing issues often face long waiting times.
• An advanced audiology-led service was implemented to triage and manage these children, aiming to reduce waiting times and improve ENT capacity.
• Understanding parental satisfaction is crucial for evaluating the effectiveness and patient-centeredness of such innovative healthcare models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess parental satisfaction with the advanced audiology-led ENT service.
• To identify if cultural factors influence parental satisfaction.
• To determine if process factors, such as management pathway, affect satisfaction.

Main Methods:

• A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted.
• A modified Visit-Specific Satisfaction Questionnaire (VSQ-9) was administered to parents.
• One hundred and thirteen parents of children attending the service between October 2016 and October 2017 were recruited.

Main Results:

• A total of 100 valid responses were received, yielding an 88.5% response rate.
• Overall parental satisfaction with the service was high.
• Satisfaction scores were significantly higher for interactions with audiologists compared to waiting times.
• No significant differences in satisfaction were found across different cultural groups.
• Parental satisfaction remained high regardless of whether the child was managed solely by the audiologist or required further medical input.

Conclusions:

• The advanced audiology-led ENT service demonstrates high levels of parental satisfaction.
• The service effectively manages children's ear and hearing concerns, with positive feedback on audiologist interactions.
• The findings suggest the model is culturally sensitive and efficient in managing patient flow.