Feedback with Education versus Digital Ototscopy for Acute Otitis Media Diagnosis and Treatment.

Randomized trialThe Journal of pediatrics· Aug 2026

Feedback with Education versus Digital Ototscopy for Acute Otitis Media Diagnosis and Treatment.

Jonathan Hatoun, Laura Burckett Patane, Jane Bittner Gould, Louis Vernacchio

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Otology & HearingRandomized trialTreatmentQ1IF 2.9

Performance feedback with education reduced antibiotic treatment rates for acute otitis media.

Feedback with Education versus Digital Ototscopy for Acute Otitis Media Diagnosis and Treatment.

Jonathan Hatoun … Louis Vernacchio

The Journal of pediatrics · Aug 2026

Purpose

To determine if feedback with education and digital otoscopy could each potentially address lack of knowledge of acute otitis media (acute otitis media) diagnostic criteria and difficulty visualizing the tympanic membrane and then result in more judicious use of antibiotics for acute otitis media.

Methods

Randomized controlled trial of 40 primary care pediatricians who each had an acute otitis media treatment rate, defined as the proportion of encounters with an acute otitis media diagnosis and antibiotic treatment divided by all encounters with a respiratory condition, above the network mean.

n = 40 primary care pediatricians

Results

feedback and education cut unnecessary antibiotic prescribing for ear infections

MD -12.80 (95% CI -20.90 to -4.70)

CI excludes the null - significant

More results

Clinicians using digital otoscopy reported improved visualization of tympanic membranes and 70% would prefer a digital otoscope to a traditional otoscope.

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Conclusion · 1 of 2

Antibiotic use for acute otitis media can be modified with performance feedback and education.

Conclusion · 2 of 2

Although there appears to be no added effect of digital otoscopy alone in this trial, clinicians using digital otoscopy preferred it to traditional otoscopy and this technology holds promise for further development in acute otitis media-related antibiotic stewardship.

Feedback with Education versus Digital Ototscopy for Acute Otitis Media Diagnosis and Treatment.

Feedback with Education versus Digital Ototscopy for Acute Otitis Media Diagnosis and Treatment.

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