New Guidelines Seek to Reduce Antibiotic Use
The American Academy of Pediatrics issued strong new guidelines in 2013 for the diagnosis, treatment, and management of Acute Otitis Media. These guidelines focus on reducing the use of antibiotics and increasing scrutiny on accuracy in diagnosis, stating, among other things, that antibiotics should only be prescribed when the diagnosis is unequivocal. Unfortunately, with current tools and techniques, the diagnoses are rarely unequivocal. The guidelines are well-intentioned, but existing diagnostic tools don't help physicians tell the difference between viral and bacterial infections.
Further, in 2015, the White House set a goal to cut the number of unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions in half by 2020 as part of a plan to combat drug-resistant bacteria known as “superbugs.” In light of this mandate, the OtoNexus device is especially relevant.
Here’s What the Thought Leaders Have to Say...
Learn More About Otitis Media
Hearing Loss in Children – Medical and Surgical Solutions
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/hearingloss/parentsguide/hearingloss/intervention-medical.html
Clinical Practice Guideline: Otitis Media with Effusion (Update) February 2016, Richard Rosenfeld MD, MPH, Jennifer Shin, MD. SM, Seth R. Schawtz MD MPD, et al. Volume: 154 issue: 1_suppl, page(s): S1-S41, Article first published online: February 1, 2016; Issue published: February 1, 2016
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0194599815623467
Publications
Clinical Practice Guideline: The diagnosis and Management of Acute Otitis Media. American Academy of Pediatrics 2013
NHSN EENT Infection Checklist 2019 - https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/pdfs/checklists/eent-checklist-508.pdf
The effect and acceptability of tympanometry and pneumatic otoscopy in general practitioner diagnosis and management of childhood ear disease. Abbot et. Al. BMC Family Practice (2014) 15:181