Speaking to medexpress.pl, Prof. Piotr H. Skarżyński reviewed activity in otorhinolaryngology in 2022 and highlighted solutions worth considering in 2023.
Among other issues, he discussed the adverse ENT effects of COVID-19 in many people and a change in doctors’ approach to hearing problems, which had previously often been overlooked:
‘I can say that doctors in other specialties no longer downplay symptoms of hearing loss and refer patients to otolaryngologists very quickly — the change in approach to hearing problems is an effect of the pandemic,’ said Prof. Piotr H. Skarżyński.
The specialist stressed the importance of telemedicine in otorhinolaryngology, widely used during the pandemic and now during the war to maintain contact with teams at three branches of the Center of Hearing and Speech in Ukraine. ‘In 2022, telemedicine solutions enabled us to help otolaryngologists and their patients in Ukraine, where mobility is now severely restricted, and to support Central Asian countries,’ said Prof. Piotr H. Skarżyński. These solutions enable doctors in Poland to provide remote advice and consultations, transmit medical records, arrange diagnostic tests that can be performed at home and provide rehabilitation tools.
Among the most important challenges for 2023, Prof. Piotr H. Skarżyński identified the development of molecular diagnostics and genetic therapies. ‘This will enable even more personalised diagnosis in relation to detected conditions — rare diseases and genetically determined hearing loss,’ he explained.
Read Prof. Piotr H. Skarżyński’s full statement here.