Digital Otoscopy Versus Standard Otoscopy on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Otitis Media in Young Children

NCT ID: NCT07328555

Last Updated: 2026-01-09

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

36 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2026-03-01

Study Completion Date

2027-09-30

Brief Summary

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Randomized controlled trial involving 4 pediatric primary care practices in Massachusetts. Practices will be stratified by their OM diagnosis and treatment rate, with two practices randomly assigned to the intervention arm and two to the control arm.

For practices randomized to the intervention arm, their offices will be equipped with digital otoscopes (Wispr Digital Otoscope, WiscMed) in each exam room in place of traditional otoscopes. Clinicians in intervention practices will attend a two-hour initial training session on the use of digital otoscopy followed by two one-hour follow-up sessions held over a two-month run-in period prior to the study start to review best practices and troubleshoot any difficulties adapting to the new technology.

Upon completion of the run-in training period, a six-month data collection period will begin. The primary outcome will consist of a difference-in-difference analysis comparing the difference in the OM Treatment Index (OMTI) from the baseline period (October 1 through March 31, 2025) to the intervention period (October 1 through March 31, 2026) between the intervention practices and the control practices. The OMTI is a measure of the rate of diagnosis and antibiotic treatment of OM, specifically calculated as the number of cases with an OM diagnosis and systemic antibiotic prescribed divided by the number of visits with a diagnosis of any acute respiratory tract illness.

Secondary outcomes include analogous difference-in-difference comparisons of: 1) overall antibiotic courses prescribed; 2) overall days of antibiotics prescribed; and 3) a balancing measure of the rate of return visits with any acute respiratory tract illness diagnosis within 7 days of an index visit. Additionally, clinicians will be surveyed to assess confidence and satisfaction in diagnosing OM and preference for digital versus traditional otoscopy.

To incentivize participation, practices randomized to the control arm will be loaned digital otoscopes to use for six months at the conclusion of the clinical trial.

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Otitis Media Antimicrobial Stewardship

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Four enrolled practices:

* Two will receive the intervention (digital otoscopy)
* Two will not receive an intervention (control)
Primary Study Purpose

DIAGNOSTIC

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Experimental: Digital Otoscopy

Use of the Wispr digital otoscope to diagnose otitis media in place of a traditional visual otoscope

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Device: Digital Otoscope

Intervention Type DEVICE

Use of the Wispr digital otoscope to diagnose otitis media in place of a standard visual otoscope

No intervention: Control

No intervention - standard otoscopy to be used

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

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Device: Digital Otoscope

Use of the Wispr digital otoscope to diagnose otitis media in place of a standard visual otoscope

Intervention Type DEVICE

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

1. PPOC practices with 4-9 patient exam rooms, willing to commit to using digital otoscopy for 6 months.
2. Not currently using digital otoscopy.
3. Not involved in the network's previous digital otoscopy study

Exclusion Criteria

* Currently using any digital otoscope
Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Boston Children's Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Jon Hatoun

Director of Data Analytics

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Louis Vernacchio, MD, MSc

Role: STUDY_DIRECTOR

Boston Children's Hospital

Locations

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Pediatric Physicians' Organization at Children's

Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

Central Contacts

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Jane Gould, MPH

Role: CONTACT

6179191608

Jonathan Hatoun, MD, MPH, MS

Role: CONTACT

6179191608

Facility Contacts

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Jane Gould, MPH

Role: primary

6179191608

Jonathan Hatoun, MD, MPH, MS

Role: backup

Other Identifiers

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PPOC_Wispr 2

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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