Glue ear management & deprivation

Glue ear management & deprivation ‐ a retrospective study of 89 patients:

Abstract

In accordance with National Guidelines, intervention for otitis media with effusion (OME) is considered when there is evidence of persistence over a 3‐month period and hearing loss is judged to have a significant impact on the child’s development.

Deprivation is officially measured by the UK government and can be used to compare neighbourhoods and relative changes over time.

There is a delay in the diagnosis of persistent OME with the majority of patients being seen well beyond the recommended 3‐month active observation period.

A higher deprivation score was associated with a significantly longer waiting time for diagnosis of persistent bilateral OME (p= 0.037)

Universal healthcare does not guarantee fair and equal access to services for all. It is not always clear why such differences exist; however, clinicians must remain vigilant to the inequalities that may affect patient care.