Digital Consultations May Not Be Safe for Assessment of Tonsillitis: Researchers - Video

Digital healthcare consultations are not enough for a safe assessment of tonsillitis, according to a study from the University of Gothenburg. Reliability will not be sufficient, thus increasing the risk of over- or undertreatment of a sore throat. The findings are published in the journal Infectious Diseases.

To determine whether a patient needs antibiotics, doctors use the so-called Centor Criteria for tonsillitis. The criteria include fever, tender and swollen lymph nodes in the angles of the jaw and inspection of the tonsils.

However, it has been 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.

The current study examines 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 Region Västra Götaland, Sweden, between January 2020 and October 2023.

Each patient in the study underwent two assessments: a digital medical assessment via video and a physical examination conducted by another doctor. The results show that digital healthcare consultations are not sufficient to assess some of the most important criteria, such as tonsil inspection and lymph node examination.

“Our study shows that although digital healthcare consultations are convenient for many patients, they are not reliable enough to assess tonsillitis. To ensure a correct diagnosis and treatment, it is still important to conduct a physical examination,” Patrycja Woldan-Gradalska, a PhD student at Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg and a Resident Physician at Sätila Healthcare Clinic, said

Reference: Woldan-Gradalska, P., Gradalski, W., Moradi, S., Franzelius, M., Folkerman, S., Fuchs, E. M., … Sundvall, P. D. (2024). Inter-rater reliability of Centor score assessments between telemedicine and in-person examinations in patients with an acute sore throat. Infectious Diseases, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1080/23744235.2024.2434878