Digital health consultations are not sufficient for safe evaluation of tonsillitis, according to a study from the University of Gothenburg. Reliability will not be sufficient, increasing the risk of over- or under-treatment of sore throat.
Tonsillitis is a common reason for visits to the doctor and prescription of antibiotics in primary care. To determine whether a patient needs antibiotics, doctors use the so-called Centor criteria for tonsillitis. Criteria include fever, tender and swollen lymph nodes at the corners of the jaw, and inspection of the tonsils.
However, it is unclear how well these criteria can be assessed during digital healthcare consultations compared to traditional in-person consultations. This lack of scientific evidence has become a growing concern as digital healthcare consultations become more common.
Digital Versus Physical Assessment
The current study, published in the journal infectious diseasesexamines whether digital assessments are as reliable as physical examinations in determining whether antibiotic treatment is warranted. The study includes 189 patients who sought care at healthcare clinics and urgent care clinics in the Västra Götaland region, Sweden, between January 2020 and October 2023.
Each patient in the study underwent two evaluations: a digital medical evaluation via video and a physical examination performed by another doctor. The results show that digital health consultations are not sufficient to evaluate some of the most important criteria, such as inspection of the tonsils and examination of the lymph nodes.
Digital is not secure enough
One of the driving forces of the study is Patrycja Woldan-Gradalska, a doctoral student at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg and a resident physician at the Sätila Health Clinic.
“Our study shows that although digital health consultations are convenient for many patients, they are not reliable enough to evaluate tonsillitis. To ensure correct diagnosis and treatment, it is still important to perform a physical examination,” he says.
The authors are active in community medicine and public health at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg and at FoUUI primary and community healthcare in the Västra Götaland Region, a supporting resource for research, education, development and innovation. .