Rate of COVID-19 Infection in Patients Following Otolaryngology vs Non-otolaryngology Outpatient Encounters.

Abstract

Routine outpatient otolaryngology visits have been identified as potential vectors for increased transmission of COVID-19 relative to other medical encounters. This is in part due to the inability of patients to mask during comprehensive otolaryngology examination and potential propensity for aerosolization during upper airway procedures, including endoscopy and nasopharyngoscopy. Using a matched-cohort sampling of >20,000 patients seen between April 2020 and January 2021, we found no increased rate of postvisit COVID-19 positivity following an in-office otolaryngology encounter relative to other non-otolaryngology outpatient encounters. This suggests that the perceived elevated risk of provider-to-patient and patient-to-patient transmission during outpatient otolaryngologic care may be unfounded.