The Use of Commercially Available Non-Medical Grade USB Cameras for Physician Guided ENT Out-Patient Self-Examination During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32412/pjohns.v36i1.1657

Keywords:

USB camera, no-contact examination, virtual physical examination, Onsite Virtual Examination (OnVEx), COVID-19

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Objective: To describe the use of commercially available, non-medical grade USB cameras in a non-contact examination of simple cases involving the ears, nose and oral cavity of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic

Methods:

Design: Instrument innovation

Setting: Tertiary Government Training Hospital

Participants: Patients who consulted at the ENT-HNS outpatient department

during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results: Commercially available USB cameras were able to provide basic visualization of the ears, nose and oral cavity. The non-medical grade USB cameras captured lower quality images when compared to the medical grade endoscopes but provided enough visualization to aid in the examination and diagnosis of simple cases. There was a learning curve in using the set-up but patients were able to adjust well, taking an average time of 2.7 minutes to complete the examination.

Conclusion: Non-medical grade USB cameras may play a role in aiding otolaryngologists in examining simple cases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Integration of this system into current examination practices may offer an extra layer of protection for otolaryngologists and patients alike. However, the use of these instruments as part of regular ENT practice may be controversial and will need further study.

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Published

2021-05-30

How to Cite

1.
Cafino R. The Use of Commercially Available Non-Medical Grade USB Cameras for Physician Guided ENT Out-Patient Self-Examination During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Philipp J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg [Internet]. 2021 May 30 [cited 2024 Nov. 21];36(1):50. Available from: https://pjohns.pso-hns.org/index.php/pjohns/article/view/1657

Issue

Vol. 36 No. 1 (2021): Philippine Journal of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery

Section

Surgical Innovation and Instrumentation

License

Copyright transfer (all authors; where the work is not protected by a copyright act e.g. US federal employment at the time of manuscript preparation, and there is no copyright of which ownership can be transferred, a separate statement is hereby submitted by each concerned author). In consideration of the action taken by the Philippine Journal of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery in reviewing and editing this manuscript, I hereby assign, transfer and convey all rights, title and interest in the work, including copyright ownership, to the Philippine Society of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Inc. (PSOHNS) in the event that this work is published by the PSOHNS. In making this assignment of ownership, I understand that all accepted manuscripts become the permanent property of the PSOHNS and may not be published elsewhere without written permission from the PSOHNS unless shared under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license.