Introduction:Between 50%and 85%of children experience at least one episode of acute otitis media(AOM)by age three.Since the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic,numerous hospitals across China have integrated te...Introduction:Between 50%and 85%of children experience at least one episode of acute otitis media(AOM)by age three.Since the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic,numerous hospitals across China have integrated telehealth solutions into their pediatric care services.Our research team introduced the Telehealth and Autonomous Mobile Clinic Framework,which was published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization in September 2022.Methods:The investigation employed a retrospective cohort design.The study population comprised 200 pediatric patients diagnosed with AOM who received either telehealth follow-up consultation or traditional in-person clinic visits.Bivariate analyses examined relationships between telehealth follow-up consultation and patient outcome in ear pain,hearing loss,and patient satisfaction between telehealth and inperson AOM follow-up groups.Multivariate regression analysis evaluated associations between ear pain(a primary clinical outcome)and telehealth utilization,hearing loss,and patient satisfaction,with adjustments for age and gender.Results:Ear pain relief was reported by 84%of patients in the telehealth follow-up group compared to 81%in the in-person follow-up group,showing no statistically significant difference(P=0.57).Hearing loss was documented in 21 cases from the telehealth group and 23 cases from the in-person follow-up group(P=0.73).Patient satisfaction scores were comparable between groups,with mean scores of 4.47(range:2.47–4.92)for telehealth and 4.49(range:2.72–4.94)for in-person follow-up(P=0.87).Multivariate regression revealed no significant difference in patient satisfaction between telehealth and in-person follow-up(P=0.21).Conclusion:This retrospective study provides compelling evidence for the effectiveness and feasibility of telehealth follow-up consultations in pediatric otitis media management.Our findings demonstrate that telehealth consultations achieve comparable outcomes to in-person follow-up visits for AOM patients.展开更多
文摘Introduction:Between 50%and 85%of children experience at least one episode of acute otitis media(AOM)by age three.Since the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic,numerous hospitals across China have integrated telehealth solutions into their pediatric care services.Our research team introduced the Telehealth and Autonomous Mobile Clinic Framework,which was published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization in September 2022.Methods:The investigation employed a retrospective cohort design.The study population comprised 200 pediatric patients diagnosed with AOM who received either telehealth follow-up consultation or traditional in-person clinic visits.Bivariate analyses examined relationships between telehealth follow-up consultation and patient outcome in ear pain,hearing loss,and patient satisfaction between telehealth and inperson AOM follow-up groups.Multivariate regression analysis evaluated associations between ear pain(a primary clinical outcome)and telehealth utilization,hearing loss,and patient satisfaction,with adjustments for age and gender.Results:Ear pain relief was reported by 84%of patients in the telehealth follow-up group compared to 81%in the in-person follow-up group,showing no statistically significant difference(P=0.57).Hearing loss was documented in 21 cases from the telehealth group and 23 cases from the in-person follow-up group(P=0.73).Patient satisfaction scores were comparable between groups,with mean scores of 4.47(range:2.47–4.92)for telehealth and 4.49(range:2.72–4.94)for in-person follow-up(P=0.87).Multivariate regression revealed no significant difference in patient satisfaction between telehealth and in-person follow-up(P=0.21).Conclusion:This retrospective study provides compelling evidence for the effectiveness and feasibility of telehealth follow-up consultations in pediatric otitis media management.Our findings demonstrate that telehealth consultations achieve comparable outcomes to in-person follow-up visits for AOM patients.
