During the COVID-19 pandemic, I had offered telemedicine visits to my patients. While for most pediatric ENT problems these are not adequate, they may be helpful for routine postoperative follow up visits or occasionally for the review of images made by parents with consumer grade digital imaging equipment.
I have put together a few instructional videos to help parents with these online visits. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions, or if you would like to schedule a telemedicine visit for you or for your child.
I have put together a few instructional videos to help parents with these online visits. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions, or if you would like to schedule a telemedicine visit for you or for your child.
I have put together a few instructional videos to help parents with these online visits. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions, or if you would like to schedule a telemedicine visit for you or for your child.
Video otoscopes have become quite inexpensive, and deliver surprisingly good images. They can also be used in the nose or mouth. Although there are many brands, I have had good results with this BeBird model, which costs around $25.
I made this video several years ago during the COVID pandemic, so it features a different brand of otoscope, and the app instructions may be slightly different for yours. But most of these work by generating a WiFi signal that the phone picks up.
Remember to use video instead of still images, since I am much more likely to get a usable image if I can scan through a number of frames in a short clip, especially if your child is moving. Be careful when placing the tip of the otoscope in the ear canal, and always watch the screen to make sure that you are centered in the ear canal and not touching the walls. Bracing the hand holding the otoscope against the child's head may help avoid pain if they move suddenly.
Finally, even though many of these devices come with attachments which claim to be useful for cleaning out earwax, I do NOT recommend doing this. It is very easy to injury the ear canal, the eardrum or even cause permanent hearing loss (especially with a moving child!).
A short tutorial on getting good images in the mouth during Telemedicine consultation. Remember to keep the light source close to the camera, and to watch the image while manipulating the phone.
While audiology apps will not replace a formal audiogram, this one can be helpful when a hearing test cannot be arranged. It also is fun, which means that kids will play it for a while, long enough to finish the evaluation. There are other more elaborate hearing test apps, but most of them are not appropriate for children. The Kid Hearing Game app is available for the iPhone and for Android.