Necessity of routine follow-up visits after diagnosis of acute otitis media : a comparison of parental report of symptoms and presence or absence of actual persistent infection

Acute Otitis Media (AOM) represents one of the most commonly diagnosed conditions in pediatric primary care. Recent studies have questioned the practice of routine follow-up for all children diagnosed with AOM. The purpose of this study was to determine if the parental report of presence or absence of infection at the follow-up visit agreed with the exam performed by the health care provider. A convenience sample of parents of patients diagnosed with AOM at the Pediatric Clinic of Hill Air Force Base was used. Quantitative data were gathered and analyzed. The results showed that parents were accurate in their perception of persistent infection. The results of this study suggest that altering the current practice patterns by eliminating the routine follow-up visit for all patients diagnosed with AOM may be done without compromising patient health care outcomes.