A hospital-based asynchronous ENT telehealth service for children with otitis media: Cost-minimisation and improved access.

IF 3.5 3区 医学 Q1 HEALTH CARE SCIENCES & SERVICES
Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare Pub Date : 2025-07-01 Epub Date: 2024-01-31 DOI:10.1177/1357633X231223994
Ali Ah Altamimi, Christopher G Brennan-Jones, Monique Robinson, Jafri Kuthubutheen, Hayley Herbert, Tu Trang Tran, Tamara Veselinović, Melinda Edmunds, Babatunde Oremulé, Eman Ma Alenezi, Peter C Richmond, Robyn Sm Choi, Ian Li
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

AimThe purpose of this study is to explore the effectiveness of a hospital-based asynchronous ear, nose, and throat (ENT) telehealth service (the Ear Portal) in reducing cost and improving access for children with otitis media.MethodsParticipants were recruited to the Ear Portal from a tertiary hospital ENT waiting list. Ear and hearing assessments were conducted during appointments by the Ear Portal research assistant, and data was stored for an asynchronous review by the Ear Portal multidisciplinary team. A cost-minimisation analysis was conducted for the Ear Portal and the standard care pathways. Waiting times to provide care for both pathways were calculated for children with semi-urgent (i.e. Category 2) and non-urgent (i.e. Category 3) referrals.ResultsThe running cost for the Ear Portal was $67.70 for initial appointments and $37.34 for follow-up appointments. Conversely, the running cost for the standard care pathway was $154.65 for initial appointments and $86.10 for follow-up appointments. A total of 223 appointments were required to offset the initial Ear Portal investment of $19,384.00. The median waiting time for the Ear Portal from initial contact to care plan delivery was <30 days, whereas the median waiting times for children in the standard care pathway were 291 days (interquartile range (IQR) = 117) for Category 2 and 371 days (IQR = 311) for Category 3 referrals.ConclusionUnder the current circumstances, the Ear Portal service can reduce costs for the health care system by reducing marginal costs per patient in addition to providing ENT specialist care within the clinically recommended timeframes.

针对中耳炎患儿的医院非同步耳鼻喉远程医疗服务:成本最小化和更好的可及性。
目的:本研究的目的是探讨基于医院的异步耳鼻喉远程医疗服务(Ear Portal)在降低中耳炎患儿的治疗成本和改善其就医机会方面的有效性:方法:从一家三级医院的耳鼻喉科候诊名单中招募耳科门户网站的参与者。耳科门户网站研究助理在预约期间进行耳科和听力评估,并将数据储存起来,供耳科门户网站多学科团队进行异步审查。对Ear Portal和标准护理路径进行了成本最小化分析。计算了半紧急(即第二类)和非紧急(即第三类)转诊儿童在两种路径下的护理等待时间:结果:耳科门户网站的初次预约运行成本为 67.70 美元,复诊成本为 37.34 美元。相反,标准护理路径的初次预约运行成本为 154.65 美元,复诊预约为 86.10 美元。总共需要 223 次预约,才能抵消耳朵门户的初始投资 19,384.00 美元。耳科门户网站从初次联系到提供护理计划的等待时间中位数为 2 小时:在当前情况下,耳科门户网站服务除了能在临床建议的时间范围内提供耳鼻喉科专家护理外,还能通过降低每位患者的边际成本来降低医疗保健系统的成本。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
14.10
自引率
10.60%
发文量
174
审稿时长
6-12 weeks
期刊介绍: Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare provides excellent peer reviewed coverage of developments in telemedicine and e-health and is now widely recognised as the leading journal in its field. Contributions from around the world provide a unique perspective on how different countries and health systems are using new technology in health care. Sections within the journal include technology updates, editorials, original articles, research tutorials, educational material, review articles and reports from various telemedicine organisations. A subscription to this journal will help you to stay up-to-date in this fast moving and growing area of medicine.
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