The use of BCD to treat chronic rhinosinusitis has increased dramatically, necessitating further characterization of BCD providers and trends in its usage. There has also been an increase in mid-level providers’ scope of otolaryngologic practice that is not well defined.
Researchers did this study to better understand BCD adoption by studying the volume of BCD procedures and training, geography, and practice socioeconomic characteristics of BCD providers.
The median number of BCDs was 63 for physicians and 37 for mid-level providers. Fellowship-trained rhinologists performed a median of 38 BCDs over two years. The most common subspecialty training was in facial plastics and reconstructive surgery. The majority of providers performed 1 to 99 BCDs over the two years. In the South, there were 21.9 BCD procedures performed per 100 000 people compared to 7.3 in the Northeast, 9.3 in the Midwest, and 8.5 in the West.
The study concluded an extensive range of entire BCD procedures performed by individual providers, varying by specific provider characteristics. Mid-level providers have emerged as a significant population performing BCD.
Reference: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1945892420905250
