Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC, USA.
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC, USA.
Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2020 Aug;163(2):330-334. doi: 10.1177/0194599820931011. Epub 2020 May 19.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has placed tremendous strain on health care systems, leading to unprecedented challenges and obstacles in the delivery of patient care. Otolaryngologists are frequently called on for inpatient consultations for an array of pathologies, ranging from chronic benign conditions to acutely life-threatening processes. Professional otolaryngologic societies across the world have proposed limiting patient care to time-sensitive and urgent matters; however, limited literature is available to describe how this transient change in philosophy may translate to clinical practice. Here we present a structured algorithm that allows for rapid triage of otolaryngologic consults during the ongoing pandemic, in efforts to minimize infectious spread and protect clinicians while preserving high-quality patient care. Considerations for managing these consults are presented, with a commentary on practical and ethical considerations.
2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行给医疗保健系统带来了巨大压力，导致患者护理方面面临前所未有的挑战和障碍。耳鼻喉科医生经常被要求对各种疾病进行住院会诊，从慢性良性疾病到急性危及生命的疾病。世界各地的耳鼻喉科专业协会都提出将患者护理限于时间敏感和紧急事项；然而，可用的文献有限，无法描述这种哲学上的短暂变化如何转化为临床实践。在这里，我们提出了一个结构化的算法，以便在当前大流行期间快速对耳鼻喉科会诊进行分诊，以尽量减少传染病的传播，保护临床医生，同时保持高质量的患者护理。提出了管理这些会诊的注意事项，并对实际和伦理方面的考虑进行了评论。
