Techniques for Restarting Pediatric Otolaryngology Outpatient Clinics After a Pandemic-Related Shutdown Such as from COVID-19
Received: 06-Sep-2021 / Accepted Date: 20-Sep-2021 / Published Date: 27-Sep-2021 DOI: 10.4172/2161-119X.1000460
Introduction
The COVID-19 scourge has drastically changed the topography of healthcare delivery throughout the entire United States (U.S.) since its onset and potentially for the foreseeable future. “Sanctum in place” orders from immigrant governments and restriction on voluntary surgical cases, fizzled in a dramatic step-down in face-to- face nursling encounters for croakers and cases, particularly in the months of March and April, 2020. In order to lessen the pocket and clinical impact of these reduced skirmishes, telehealth surfaced as a workable outlet to supply warranted care to cases.
Anteriorly, a temporary and zippy pivot to telehealth has been shown to be useful and productive for delivery of health care for pediatric cases in disaster situations. Reviewed their telemedicine visits with pediatric cases in 2017 when Hurricane Irma made landfall on the plage of Florida. This natural disaster left 60 of the state without electricity and rived healthcare installations statewide. Yea though holdup times were increased for families the case and provider satisfaction remained high. Telemedicine has also been successfully settled to prevent a cholera epidemic in India during a large gathering of people While neither this environmental disaster or epidemiologic outbreak was on the scale of the current COVID-19 scourge, their wisdom are still useful in how telehealth can be used during a healthcare tinderbox [1].
Really little is published on the unique telehealth happenings in pediatric otolaryngology and the integral challenges faced when the physical test is extremely limited. This retrospective and scan study was designed to valuate our Pediatric Otolaryngology Division’s experience with telehealth during the COVID-19 malady to garner sageness and offer readings learned [2].
Techniques
Clinic installations
Cases are to spend as little time as possible in the biding room. However, seats have been separated to maintain social distancing (2 m) and toys and magazines have been removed, if cases need to bide in the common area. The MOA is funded by a plexiglass cover on the branch and a mask during contact with cases. Each croaker employs at least two different examination cells, which allows drawing in between cases without time destruction. The largest cells of the clinic are used to grease social distancing. Aerosol generating procedures (e.g. nasal endoscopy) are performed in a negative pressure room which is designated for this purpose alone. Inessential outfit has been removed from the cells. Only outfit demanded for each individual case is to be out during a confabulation, with all dirty and unused stuff removed at the end of each dialogue. A dirt on the suction should be considered. Thorough cleaning of skins with> 70 alcohol wipes must be performed after every case visit as it’s known that the antivenin can remain on skins for hours to days
Appointments
All cases are set via a croaker telehealth dialogue to be triaged. Full history is taken and a provisional plan formulated, including whether in-person appointment is took, and to determine if a trans-nasal flexible fiberoptic-laryngoscopy (FFL) will be needed. However, a clinic appointment will be recorded and COVID-19 tulle will be performed by phone, If the case needs to be seen in person. No COVID-19 testing will be took in asymptomatic cases. Only one parent will be allowed to accompany the child to the clinic. It’s requested that face masks are worn. They’re informed to call the MOA on their advent to thehospital. However, they will be directed to come to the clinic to that specific room, If an empty examination room is available. However, they will be asked to stay outside the home or in their wheels until they’re reached by the MOA, If not. Hand-hygiene and netting will be performed at the nursling structures entrance. The case in-person visit should be as short as possible, using notes from the telehealth parley as an aid to direct the examination. Stretched in-person communication should be minimized, with another extended colloquies possible via phone where claimed. The patient volume is reduced by scheduling longer appointment intervals (e.g. 30 min) allowing time for particular defensive outfit (PPE) slipping and peeling, drawing of confab cells and telehealth consultations between in-person cabinetwork [3].
References
- Christopherson DA, Yao WC, Lu M (2020) High-Efficiency Particulate Air Filters in the Era of COVID-19: Function and Efficacy. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 163: 1153-5.
- Howard BE (2020) High-Risk Aerosol-Generating Procedures in COVID-19: Respiratory Protective Equipment Considerations. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 163: 98-103.
- Leitmeyer K, Felton M, Chadha NK (2020) Strategies for restarting Pediatric Otolaryngology outpatient clinics after a pandemic-related shutdown such as from COVID-19. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology Pp:110414.
Citation: Lucas H (2021) Techniques for Restarting Pediatric Otolaryngology Outpatient Clinics After a Pandemic-Related Shutdown Such as from COVID-19. Otolaryngol (Sunnyvale) 11: 460. DOI: 10.4172/2161-119X.1000460
Copyright: © 2021 Lucas H. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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