Adjustment of Health-Care Service Delivery Among Phoniatricians and ENT Specialists During the COVID-19 Pandemic, A UEP Survey

Background. Applying measures that prioritize staff safety, while protecting patient safety and care, represents a challenge during the current pandemic. Many documents of recommendations toward safe practice have been developed for this purpose. Objective. To assess adjustments that have been undertaken by phoniatricians and otolaryngologists in the delivery of health-care services during the pandemic in order to reduce staff exposure to COVID-19 and improve safety. Study design. Cross-sectional. Methods. An online self-administered survey was used during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in June 2020 to collect data related to demographics of participants, their sources of information, administrative alterations, and changes they adopted when meeting patients for a consultation/procedure/surgery. Results. The eligible 154 responses were grouped into 4 groups based on country of residence. Alterations to service delivery amongst the different groups were compared. Conclusions. The majority of participants were following the suggested recommendations to service delivery adjustments, with some inconsistencies in practice across countries.