Should photographic triage become common practice?

Abstract

Design Cross-sectional, exploratory study collecting photographic referral data over three months.Sample selection Paediatric referrals to the orthodontic and maxillofacial department at Alder Hey Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.Data analysis Photographic referrals were analysed using Microsoft Excel to determine treatment outcomes, including 'not to see', 'plan to see' and 'need to see'. Demographic information collected and analysed were patient age, gender, referral source and presenting complaint.Results In total, 220 photographic referrals were received, with swelling (30%) and dental trauma (27%) being the most common presenting complaints. Fifty-seven percent of the referrals were not seen, 23% were seen semi-urgently and 20% booked for outpatient review. Of those seen, seven children were examined elsewhere, with 44 receiving face-to-face consultations at Alder Hey Children's Hospital, with eight being admitted.Conclusions Photographic triage has potential to be a useful adjunctive assessment tool for new patient referrals, with secondary benefits for training junior staff and for populations who already find access to dental services challenging. Feasibility studies on the application should be seriously considered. However, the unique circumstances which resulted in the development of a photographic triage method need to be considered when generalising its use to normal working conditions.