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One year on: assessing the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 on demand for semi-urgent ENT services

Part of: JLO Coronavirus Collection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 August 2021

H Allen ,
J Winstanley ,
T J Stubington  and
O Judd
H Allen*
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Royal Derby Hospital, Derby, UK
J Winstanley
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Royal Derby Hospital, Derby, UK
T J Stubington
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Royal Derby Hospital, Derby, UK
O Judd
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Royal Derby Hospital, Derby, UK
*
Author for correspondence: Dr Heather Allen, Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Royal Derby Hospital, Uttoxeter Road, DerbyDE22 3NE, UK E-mail: heather.allen11@nhs.net
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Abstract

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.

Keywords

COVID-19OtitisTriage
Type
Main Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 135 , Issue 9 , September 2021 , pp. 829 - 833
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

Dr H Allen takes responsibility for the integrity of the content of the paper

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