Távora-Vieira Dayse, Voola Marcus, Majteles Lisa, Timms Lydia, Acharya Aanand, Kuthubutheen Jafri
Fiona Stanley Fremantle Hospitals Group, Perth, WA, Australia.
Division of Surgery, Medical School, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
Int J Audiol. 2022 Jan;61(1):29-33. doi: 10.1080/14992027.2021.1900610. Epub 2021 Mar 26.
To investigate the feasibility of using an extended scope (ES) audiology service to provide care to non-urgent adult patients waiting for an Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) appointment.
Based on suitability criteria developed by the Audiology and ENT departments, an internal review of the ENT wait list identified patients who would be suitable for an ES audiology clinic.
220 non-urgent patients on the ENT wait list with hearing loss and/or tinnitus.
A total of 220 patients were transferred from the ENT wait list to the ES audiology clinic: 200 (90.9%) were seen by the ES Audiologist and 20 (9.1%) patients self-discharged or did not attend the appointment. Out of the 200 patients seen, 175 (87.5%) were assessed, managed and discharged without the need for input from an Otologist. The remaining 25 (12.5%) patients needed an Otologist's input.
This study has demonstrated the feasibility of an ES audiology clinic in a tertiary teaching hospital. Of those seen by ES audiologist, 87.5% were discharged from the ENT wait list without medical intervention. This model may represent an effective alternative pathway for lengthy outpatient waiting list management whilst providing patients with timely access to care.
探讨利用扩展范围（ES）听力服务为等待耳鼻喉科（ENT）预约的非紧急成年患者提供护理的可行性。
根据听力科和耳鼻喉科制定的适用性标准，对耳鼻喉科候诊名单进行内部审查，确定适合ES听力诊所的患者。
220名在耳鼻喉科候诊名单上的非紧急患者，伴有听力损失和/或耳鸣。
共有220名患者从耳鼻喉科候诊名单转移至ES听力诊所：200名（90.9%）患者接受了ES听力学家的诊治，20名（9.1%）患者自行退出或未就诊。在接受诊治的200名患者中，175名（87.5%）患者在无需耳科医生介入的情况下得到评估、管理并出院。其余25名（12.5%）患者需要耳科医生的介入。
本研究证明了在三级教学医院设立ES听力诊所的可行性。在接受ES听力学家诊治的患者中，87.5%从耳鼻喉科候诊名单中出院，无需医疗干预。这种模式可能是管理冗长门诊候诊名单的一种有效替代途径，同时为患者提供及时的护理服务。
