Could Advanced Audiology-Led Clinics Help Fix Paediatric ENT Waiting Lists?

If you’ve ever tried to get a child into a public Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) clinic, you probably know the story: long waits, overwhelmed clinics, and frustrated families. In many hospitals, demand for paediatric ENT services far exceeds capacity — and the backlog keeps growing.

A team of researchers in Queensland, Australia, wondered whether a new kind of clinic could help: an advanced audiology‑led service. Their study explored whether shifting some referrals from ENT specialists to specially trained audiologists could reduce waiting times and free up ENT specialists to focus on the most complex cases.

Here’s what they found.

Why Are ENT Waiting Lists So Long?

Around the world, specialist outpatient clinics are struggling with demand. ENT is no exception — especially for children, who are often referred for:

• Middle ear infections

• Hearing or speech concerns

• Tonsil issues

• Snoring or sleep apnoea

At the hospital studied, only one ENT consultant was available for paediatric clinics, running just one half‑day clinic per week. Unsurprisingly, this wasn’t enough to keep up with demand.

Over six months, 521 new children were referred — but the clinic could only see about 26 new patients per month. The waiting list ballooned to over 1,000 children, many waiting far longer than recommended.

Enter the Advanced Audiology-Led Clinic

The idea is simple: Many children referred to ENT actually have issues that audiologists are highly trained to assess — especially middle ear problems and hearing concerns.

So what if those children were seen first by an audiologist with advanced training in diagnosing and managing common ear conditions?

This clinic would:

• Assess children aged 2 years and older

• Handle straightforward middle ear disease, hearing loss, and speech‑related concerns

• Discharge children who don’t need ENT intervention

• Fast‑track children who do need ENT care

This model has worked well in adult services, but hadn’t been tested for paediatrics.

How Many Kids Could Audiology See Instead of ENT?

The researchers reviewed all referrals over six months and applied strict eligibility criteria.

Here’s what they found:

• 206 children were referred for middle ear or hearing/speech concerns

• 121 of them (59%) met criteria for the audiology‑led clinic

• That’s 23% of all ENT referrals

• And 45% of semi‑urgent referrals

In other words, nearly one in four children on the ENT waitlist could have been seen by audiology instead.

What Would This Mean for ENT Capacity?

If those 121 children had been diverted to audiology, ENT specialists would have gained:

• 20 extra appointment slots per month

• A 77% increase in capacity

That’s a huge boost — especially for semi‑urgent cases, where audiology could reduce ENT workload by almost half.

Would This Fix the Entire Waitlist Problem?

Not entirely.

Even with the audiology clinic, the hospital still faced:

• High incoming demand

• A massive existing backlog

• Limited ENT specialist availability

The study makes it clear: audiology-led clinics are part of the solution, not the whole solution.

Other strategies are still needed, such as:

• Better referral screening

• Telehealth triage

• Reducing no‑shows

• More ENT specialist time

But the audiology clinic could make a meaningful dent — especially for children who need help sooner rather than later.

Why This Matters

Long waits for ENT care can affect:

• Hearing

• Speech and language development

• School performance

• Quality of life

If audiologists can safely and effectively manage a large portion of referrals, children could get help faster — and ENT specialists could focus on the kids who truly need surgical or complex medical care.

This study is one of the first to explore this model for paediatrics, and the early signs are promising.

The Bottom Line

An advanced audiology‑led clinic could:

✅ Reduce ENT waiting lists✅ Increase clinic capacity by 77%✅ Streamline semi‑urgent referrals✅ Improve access to care for children

It won’t solve everything, but it’s a powerful step toward a more efficient, child‑friendly ENT service.

If you would like to read the full article - please see Pokorny, M. A., Wilson, W. J., Thorne, P. R., & Whitfield, B. C. S. (2019). Is an advanced audiology-led service the solution to the paediatric ENT outpatient waiting list problem? Speech, Language and Hearing, 22(3), 137–141. https://doi.org/10.1080/2050571X.2018.1447750