PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Timothy Loescher
AU  - Jack Allum
AU  - Nicola Phillips
TI  - Prudent healthcare in practice: integration of audiology services into primary care
AID  - 10.1136/bmjoq-2022-001884
DP  - 2022 Aug 01
TA  - BMJ Open Quality
PG  - e001884
VI  - 11
IP  - 3
4099  - http://bmjopenquality.bmj.com/content/11/3/e001884.short
4100  - http://bmjopenquality.bmj.com/content/11/3/e001884.full
SO  - BMJ Open Qual2022 Aug 01; 11
AB  - Background Swansea Bay University Health Board (SB UHB) has been trialling a primary care audiology pathway since 2016. The pathway enables patients with hearing, tinnitus or wax problems to be triaged directly to the audiology department acting as the first point of contact, freeing up general practitioners, Ear, Nose and Throat consultants and nurses to see patients with more complex health conditions.Purpose To evaluate the efficiency of the SB UHB primary care audiology pathway.Particular focus Clinical outcomes of patients seen through the SB UHB primary care audiology pathway.Overview The vast majority of patients seen through the SB UHB primary care audiology pathway are managed without the need for onward referral (≥87%).