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ASOHNS ASM 2025
ASOHNS ASM 2025
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Do paediatric patients need ENT follow up after grommets? An alternative cost effective model of care

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Verbal Presentation

1:46 pm

29 March 2025

Meeting Room C2.4

CONCURRENT SESSION 3E: FREE PAPERS

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Presentation Description

Institution: Flinders Medical Centre - South Australia, Australia

Aims Grommet insertion is often performed for recurrent otitis media or hearing loss due to middle ear effusions. Patients are reviewed post-operatively to ensure hearing has returned to normal and identify complications. The aim of this audit is to determine if this process can be done by an audiologist instead of ENT surgeon. We designed a protocol for audiology-led review and discharge of patients or review by ENT if patients met specific audiological criteria. Methodology This is a retrospective audit of the audiology-led review protocol of paediatric patients following grommet insertion at a South Australian tertiary hospital in 2021. The primary outcome was the number of patients discharged by audiology. The secondary outcomes were audiometry results, waiting times for an ENT appointment following re-referral by audiology and comparative costs of this protocol. Results 50 consecutive paediatric patients (9 months to 12 years old) were identified in the audit. The median length of follow-up was 17 months. 25 (50%) patients were discharged with normal audiometry. There were 128 audiology and 66 ENT (of which 23 were routine 6-week post-operative) clinic appointments following grommet insertion, with an estimated cost saving of $8448 for the audiology-led protocol. 19 patients were re-referred to ENT clinic for abnormal audiometry or recurrent infection. 9 (18%) patients underwent grommet re-insertion. The median wait time for an ENT appointment from audiology referral was 2.4 months. Conclusion An audiology-led model of care of patients post grommet insertion is safe, cost-effective and feasible for patients to access ENT clinics in a timely manner if required.

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Dr Sophie Dunmall - , Prof Eng Hooi Ooi - , Mr David May - , Dr Patricia Macfarlane -