Randomized Trial of Bulb Syringes for Earwax: Impact on Health Service Utilization

The Article in Brief

Randomized Trial of Bulb Syringes for Earwax: Impact on Health Service Utilization

Richard Coppin , and colleagues

Background Millions of people seek medical care, including ear irrigation procedures, for problems with earwax, representing a significant health cost. Bulb syringes, a tool for self-treatment, are not widely available in the United Kingdom. In this UK study, researchers compared 2 treatment options�self-treatment with a bulb syringe and treatment in the clinic�and their effects on utilization of health services.

What This Study Found Of patients presenting with ears blocked with wax and subsequently cleared, those given a bulb syringe for self-use had about 50% fewer clinic visits for irrigation compared to the other group of patients.

Implications

• Self-treatment with drops and self-irrigation may offer a feasible alternative to clinic visits, saving time and cost. The authors estimate that, in the UK, encouraging the initial use of bulb syringes could, in the following 2 years, reduce the number of clinic irrigations by around 0.9 million.