Abstract
Objective: To explore self-reported experience for different outpatient
modes in tinnitus patients. Methods: A observational study design was
adopted. Tinnitus outpatients from the otological medicine and routine
otolaryngology of our hospital fulfilling the study criteria were
enrolled between October 2018 and January 2020. They were examined by
semi-structured interview questionnaire. Groups were formed according to
the different outpatient modes. The data were analyzed with SPSS 23.0.
Results: 193 questionnaires were included; 118 questionnaires of
otological medicine outpatients, 75 questionnaires of otolaryngology
outpatients. Nearly half of the otological medicine patients (48.3%)
said that they communicated for 5–10 minutes with their doctor and a
routine otolaryngology outpatient service usually takes 3–5 minutes
(61.3%). However, most patients expected a longer time. Patient
satisfaction and return visit rate of otological medicine (95.5% and
43.9%) were better than routine otolaryngology (77.3% and 7.1%). The
main factors of efficacy considered physician interpretation and
guidance (66.7%). Conclusion: Both outpatient models can give patients
a more satisfactory experience in the real world. Specialized outpatient
service can better fit the shared decision making model, conducive to
the rehabilitation and management of tinnitus. However, the long-term
follow-up and management of patients still need to be scrutinized and
improved continuously.