VALIDATION OF A LOW-COST METHOD FOR RECORDING AND SUPERVISING OTOLARYNGOLOGY TRAINEE ENDOSCOPIES,

Abstract

Objectives/HypothesisTo design low-cost smartphone adaptors for recording otolaryngology trainee and physician extender endoscopies and evaluate their image quality and usability in the inpatient and emergency room (ER) settings. Study DesignProspective mixed-methods study, including device design, quantitative and qualitative surveys Methods3D-printed adaptors for rigid and flexible fiberoptic endoscopy were iteratively developed. Three versions of the adaptors were provided to otolaryngology trainees, faculty and physician extenders: phone adaptors +/- telescope magnification and tablet/laptop adaptors featuring a USB camera. Surveys including the System Usability Scale (SUS) and questions on image quality, ease of use, and impact on patient care were administered. Images from the adaptors and existing recording methods were compared using the BRISQUE image quality metric. Results20 otolaryngology staff completed the survey (9 residents, 1 physician assistant, 9 attendings, 1 fellow). SUS scores were excellent with a mean of 77.5 (SD 9.7). There were no significant differences in BRISQUE scores when comparing the smartphone adaptors with single-use distal-chip nasopharyngolaryngoscopes and clinic fiberoptic systems (F=0.7, df=4, p=0.5890). The cost to fabricate the phone adaptor with/without a telescope, and the tablet/laptop adaptor was $1.28, $39.38, and $93.84, respectively. Responses to semi-structured questions highlighted positive impact on supervision and collaboration. ConclusionsThere are limited options for recording and supervising otolaryngology trainee endoscopic exams in the inpatient and ER settings. Endoscopic phone adaptors designed by 3D printing can generate sufficient image quality and usability for clinical supervision.