To determine how practicing clinicians evaluate patients with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and to analyze the cost-effectiveness of current algorithms in the evaluation of these patients.
An interactive online survey allowing respondents to order diagnostic testing in the evaluation of 4 simulated patients with SNHL across 2 testing encounters per patient.
The survey was distributed to clinician members of the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology and the American Society of Human Genetics between May and August 2014. Statistical tests included chi-square and nonparametric testing with Mann-Whitney U test.
Otolaryngologists were significantly more likely than other clinicians to order repeat audiometric testing and significantly less likely to order genetic testing. Respondents who completed training more recently were significantly more likely to order magnetic resonance imaging and electrocardiogram. On average, respondents spent $4756 in the evaluation of a single patient, with otolaryngologists spending significantly more than other clinicians. Computed tomography of the temporal bone (40%), ophthalmology consultation (39%), and genetics consultation (37%) were ordered most frequently in the first encounter. Comprehensive genetic testing was ordered least frequently on the first encounter (20%) but was the most frequently ordered test on the second encounter (30%).
Recent guidelines advocate comprehensive genetic testing in the evaluation of patients with SNHL, as early genetic testing can prevent uninformative additional tests that otherwise increase health care expenditures. Results from this survey indicate that comprehensive genetic testing is now frequently but not uniformly included in evaluation of patients with SNHL.
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 4. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 15 September 2016.
All research outputs
#11,485,932
of 34,457,357 outputs
Outputs from Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery
#1,805
of 5,396 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#102,133
of 298,494 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery
#19
of 80 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 34,457,357 research outputs across all sources so far. This one has received more attention than most of these and is in the 65th percentile.
So far Altmetric has tracked 5,396 research outputs from this source. They typically receive more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 8.7. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 65% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 298,494 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 64% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 80 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has done well, scoring higher than 76% of its contemporaries.
