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Preliminary study on the feasibility of a two‐stage screening strategy for otitis media with effusion in children
Author(s) -
Yang Jia,
Zhang Hu,
Zhao Na,
Shi ZhongGang,
Xu Anting
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of paediatrics and child health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.631
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1440-1754
pISSN - 1034-4810
DOI - 10.1111/jpc.14987
Subject(s) - medicine , otitis , confidence interval , odds ratio , pediatrics , stage (stratigraphy) , effusion , rural area , surgery , pathology , paleontology , biology
Aim To evaluate the feasibility of a two‐stage screening strategy for otitis media with effusion (OME) in pre‐school and school children. The risk factors of OME were also studied. Methods One hundred and eighty‐nine children aged 4–8 years were recruited. The two‐stage screening consisted of an on‐site screening with a portable otoscopy along with a questionnaire to both diagnose children with OME and identify children at risk, and a standard screening performed at a regional hospital for final diagnosis. The prevalence detected from the two‐stage screening approach was compared to the actual prevalence. Results The detection rate of OME through the two‐stage screening approach was not significantly different from the actual prevalence rate (12.7% vs. 13.4%, P = 0.847). Children from the urban area had a lower risk for OME than that from the rural area ( P = 0.007, odds ratio (OR) = 0.28, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.11–0.74). Compared to childcare dining, family dining helped to reduce the chance of OME ( P < 0.001, OR = 0.15, 95% CI: 0.06–0.38). Conclusions The two‐stage screening strategy was effective for screening for OME among pre‐school and school children. It can be used in rural areas that have a high prevalence of OME and limited medical resources.