Direct Audiology – Vestibular Physiotherapy (DAVP) Pathway: More Than Just A Waiting List Initiative

Direct Audiology – Vestibular Physiotherapy (DAVP) Pathway: More Than Just A Waiting List Initiative Casserly, Valerie; McBride, Pauline Traditionally, patients with vestibular symptoms referred to ENT experienced lengthy waiting times, additional radiological and external vestibular function testing and multiple ENT clinic visits.• A new “one stop shop” multidisciplinary pathway, led by audiology and physiotherapy was introduced to the hospital in September 2022 in line with the Model of care for Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery for Ireland (2019).• To ensure quality was not solely defined as a reduction in waiting time and cost, the STEEEP principles of quality: Safe, Timely, Effective, Equitable, Efficient and Patient centred were applied. Patient feedback was sought to determine if the change in service delivery was received favourably by patients.• The aim of this study was to compare the two pathways, to determine the effect on patient waiting times, hospital resources utilisation and patient satisfaction.