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One year on: assessing the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 on demand for semi-urgent ENT services
H Allen1, J Winstanley1, T J Stubington1
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Royal Derby Hospital, Derby, UK.
Insights
The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic altered patient visits to Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) services. Key changes included more otitis media and nasal trauma, and fewer otitis externa and tonsillitis cases.
Area of Science:
- Otolaryngology
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic significantly disrupted healthcare access and patient behavior globally.
- Understanding its impact on specialized services like Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) is crucial for adapting healthcare delivery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the changes in patient presentation patterns to ENT first-on-call services before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- To identify specific conditions that showed significant shifts in consultation frequency.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of all appointments at a rapid access triage ENT clinic.
- Data collection spanned June 1 to August 31 in both 2019 and 2020.
- Binomial proportion tests were employed to compare consultation proportions and unique patient numbers between the two years.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in the proportions of nine reasons for consultation were observed between 2019 and 2020.
- Presentations for otitis media and nasal trauma increased.
- Consultations for otitis externa and tonsillitis decreased, with reattendances influencing some diagnostic frequencies.
Conclusions:
- The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a discernible shift in the types of ENT conditions presenting to first-on-call services.
- These changes likely reflect alterations in patient behavior and accessibility of healthcare during the pandemic.
Objective:
This study investigated how the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has impacted on presentations to ENT first-on-call services.
Methods:
All appointments to a rapid access triage clinic from 1 June to 31 August in 2019 and 2020 were reviewed retrospectively and their reasons for consultation classified. A binomial proportion test was used to determine whether the proportions of consultations per presentation differed significantly between years. This analysis was repeated with the number of unique patients per presenting complaint.
Results:
The proportions of nine reasons for consultation differed significantly between 2019 and 2020, including an increase in otitis media and nasal trauma presentations, and a decrease in otitis externa and tonsillitis presentations. Reattendances caused some variation in the frequency of certain diagnoses.
Conclusion:
Our data suggest a shift in the presentations to first-on-call services, which may be a result of changes in patient behaviour and access to healthcare services.
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