A digital otoscope can capture high quality video inside your child's ears, allowing your care team to diagnose ear infections remotely and prescribe treatments if indicated.
After testing numerous devices with our own children, the MP care team recommends the ScopeAround (normally costs under $50) for its image quality and ease-of-use. Other devices are fine as well as long as you're able to capture clear video as described below.
Important Notes
Most useful for kids over 4 months old
We don't see a lot of ear infections with newborns, so feel free wait a few months to purchase if you have a new baby.
Please check in with us first if you suspect your child under 4 months has an ear infection.
The digital otoscope is for your convenience
If you ever want an in-person visit, just say the word and we'll make it happen.
We're ALWAYS happy to come see you in person!
Your care team member may recommend an in-person visit
Despite our best efforts to resolve virtually, the care team member helping your family may ultimately decide an in-person visit is necessary.
Not every ear infection requires antibiotics
The care team member helping your family will clearly communicate their thought process and recommendations with you, answering any questions along the way.
Best Practices
Use two adults
One adult will utilize the Comfort Hold (see below) to keep the child very still, while the other adult takes the video.
Comfort hold
This method of keeping your child still gives you the best chance of getting an acceptable image while avoiding injury to your child's ear.
Your baby is strong, but you are stronger!
In the image example below, the left ear is being examined:
Use your left arm to hold down both of their arms.
Use your right hand to get their attention with snapping.
Use your right hand to hold their head flat against your chest.
Using the incorrect hand to hold the head will block access to the ear for the other adult
Straighten the ear canal
In children, the ear canal travels toward the back of the head before getting to the eardrum.
For this reason, you need to straighten the canal by gently pulling the ear backward.
Straightening the canal allows you to visualize the ear drum.
This is an accidental picture of the ear canal, which happens when the canal isn't straightened properly. The eardrum is hidden in the black area to the upper left.
Take videos, not images
The ScopeAround software requires you to touch your phone to capture an image.
Since you'll be using both hands to look in the ear (one hand to gently straighten the ear canal, the other to hold the device), you won't have a free hand to touch your phone.
Starting a video before you look avoids this issue.
Send videos through the Spruce app
Sending through SMS or email will delay diagnosis
Tell us which ear is associated with each video you send
We need to know which ear we're looking at in order to diagnose properly.
e.g. "The following video is of the left ear."
Keep the camera upright during the video
The "On" button on the device should always be facing right as seen in the picture below.
Right Hand
Other Common Pitfalls
Too far away
The dark area is the eardrum, but the camera light is too far away to visualize it properly
Too blurry
The images you capture need to be fairly clear in order to be used for a diagnosis (see below).
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