Background: the diagnostic accuracy of otitis media with effusion (OME) has been shown to be poor among medical students, residents, and practicing physicians.
Objective: to determine if the use of pneumatic video-otoendoscopic examination (VOE) improves the diagnostic accuracy of OME among residents.
Methods: pediatric residents were randomized into a "pneumatic" examination group (intervention) and a "still" examination group (control). The control group viewed a set of 25 still VOE images of the tympanic membranes of both normal and OME ears. The intervention group viewed the same still images but with the addition of pneumatic VOE assessments. Each resident documented each of his or her diagnoses as normal or OME. The accuracy of assessment for both the static and the pneumatic methods was compared.
Results: twenty-nine pediatric residents participated in this study: 15 in the intervention group and 14 in the control group. The overall diagnostic accuracy was 91% for the intervention group versus 78% for the control group (p = .0003).
Conclusion: pneumatic video-otoscopy teaching improves the diagnostic accuracy of OME among residents.