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Li LYJ, Wang SY, Yang JM, Chen CJ, Tsai CY, Wu LYY, Wu TF, Wu CJ. The Development and Evaluation of a Smartphone-Aided Diagnosis Application to Measure Tympanic Membrane Perforations. EAR, NOSE & THROAT JOURNAL 2022:1455613221123361. [PMID: 35993670 DOI: 10.1177/01455613221123361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Chronic otitis media is a long-term infection of the middle ear. It is characterized by persistent discharge from the middle ear through a perforated tympanic membrane. It is one of the most common causes of preventable hearing loss, especially in developing countries. Precise estimation of the size of tympanic membrane perforation is essential for successful clinical management. In this study, we developed a smartphone-based application to calculate the ratio of the area of tympanic membrane perforation to the area of the tympanic membrane. Twelve standardized patients and 60 medical students were involved to assess the area of tympanic membrane perforation, in particular, the percentage of perforation size. METHODS In total, 60 student doctors (including year 5 and year 6 medical students, intern and post-graduate year training of doctors) were recruited during their rotation at the Otolaryngology department of Taipei Medical University Shuang-Ho Hospital. Twelve standardized patients with chronic otitis media were recruited through a single otology practice. Oto-endoscopic examination was performed for all patients by using a commercially-available digital oto-endoscope, and clinical images of the tympanic membrane perforation were obtained. To demonstrate the variability of perforation size estimation by different student doctors, we calculated the percentage of perforation using the smartphone-based application for 12 tympanic membranes objectively and compared the results with those visually estimated by the 60 student doctors subjectively. RESULTS The variance in the visual estimation by the 60 student doctors was large. By contrast, variances in smartphone-based application calculations were smaller, indicating consistency in the results obtained from different users. The smartphone-based application accurately estimated the presence of perforation for tympanic membranes with high consistency. The differences in visual estimations can be considerably great and the variances can be large among different individuals. CONCLUSIONS The smartphone-based application is a dependable tool for precisely evaluating the size of tympanic membrane perforation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lok-Yee Joyce Li
- Department of Anatomical Pathology, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Medicine, Shin Kong Wu-Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Otolaryngology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Otolaryngology, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shin-Yi Wang
- Department of Nursing, National Taiwan University Hospital Hsinchu Branch, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Jinn-Moon Yang
- Institute of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Jou Chen
- Master Program in School of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Yu Tsai
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Lucas Yee-Yan Wu
- Department of Medicine, Shin Kong Wu-Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Otolaryngology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Otolaryngology, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Te-Fang Wu
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Jung Wu
- Department of Otolaryngology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Otolaryngology, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- PhD Degree Program in Biomedical Science and Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
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Fang CH, Smith RV. COVID-19 and the resurgence of telehealth in otolaryngology. OPERATIVE TECHNIQUES IN OTOLARYNGOLOGY-HEAD AND NECK SURGERY 2022; 33:158-164. [PMID: 35505953 PMCID: PMC9047697 DOI: 10.1016/j.otot.2022.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The objective of this review is to examine the impact of the ongoing Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the use of telehealth in Otolaryngology. The use of telemedicine rose dramatically during the pandemic to meet the need for continued patient care while allowing for physical separation of providers and patients. Telemedicine has been used to evaluate patients with a variety of pathologies including dysphonia, vertigo, and anosmia. Innovative use of at-home exams, such as video-otoscopy has aided providers in overcoming challenges associated with a highly specialized physical exam. The use of telemedicine in Otolaryngology will likely remain essential in the post-pandemic era and has promising results for improving clinical efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina H Fang
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Montefiore Medical Center, The University Hospital of Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
| | - Richard V Smith
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Montefiore Medical Center, The University Hospital of Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
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