Selected Podcast
Pediatric Ear, Nose & Throat at UK HealthCare
Dr. Christopher Azbell shares his insight on the pediatric ENT program at UK.
Featured Speaker:
Christopher Azbell, MD
Christopher Azbell, MD is a Pediatric Otolaryngologist. Transcription:
Scott Webb: Welcome to UK HealthCast from the University of Kentucky Healthcare. I'm Scott Webb. And today, we're discussing the ENT program at UK. And joining me today is Dr. Christopher Azbell. He's going to tell us about the program, how to make appointments and all about the new location in Turfland. And doctor, thanks so much for your time today. Tell us about the pediatric ENT program at UK.
Dr. Christopher Azbell: So the pediatric ENT program at UK, we now have three surgeons, Dr. Iverson, Dr. Fiorillo and myself, who all specialize in the ear, nose and throat care of children specifically. So we deal with all sorts of issues in pediatric patients. We all have specialized training beyond our standard ENT training to help us focus on the simple and complex problems that kids have.
Scott Webb: That's great and let's talk about the problems. What are some of the common issues or problems that the three of you treat?
Dr. Christopher Azbell: The most common issues are things like ear infections and hearing loss with the ears. We also see kids with breathing problems and snoring problems. Sometimes kids have recurrent throat infections or tonsilitis. We deal with newborns who might have feeding issues or breathing issues. We also deal with chronic sinus disease. We deal with congenital neck masses. We also deal with more complex structural airway issues.
Scott Webb: So then, what makes the program unique? Is that the skills and qualifications of the surgeons, maybe the actual treatment of patients?
Dr. Christopher Azbell: Our pediatric ENT practice is unique first because of the extra training and practice that all of our surgeons have had. We not only completed a five-year ENT residency, like all ENTs, but we completed additional specific training focused entirely on the care of pediatric ear, nose and throat issues. This means dealing with both the simple and more complex ENT issues that children might have.
We also all happen to be parents ourselves, and we know it can be quite challenging bringing a child into the office. We think that our experience with kids at home helps us to provide better care to kids at work.
Scott Webb: And you mentioned that you and your two surgeon colleagues are parents yourselves. So how do you think this changes the way you interact with patients and their families? How do you think it influences the way you care for patients?
Dr. Christopher Azbell: We deal with kids all the time at home. And so I think, you know, there's not always an easy way to communicate and get a history from a young child or even a little bit older child. And so part of that is our practice at home. We know how to negotiate and how to deal with kids and how to optimize that interaction with the child and the parent to best figure out what the problem is and figure out how to treat it.
I always laugh when parents come into my office and apologize for their kids acting the way that they do. And I tell them, you know, "I have a three and a five-year-old at home, like you don't have to apologize for anything. I know how kids are." And Dr. Iverson and Dr. Fiorillo are certainly the same way. So being a parent is not always an easy job, but it certainly helps us in the real life job that we have.
Scott Webb: How do we make an appointment? Do families need referrals?
Dr. Christopher Azbell: So there are a few ways. You can go onto our website, onto the UK Hospital website and make an appointment. You can also call us through UKMDs. You can also call our clinic directly at (859) 218-2163 to make an appointment. Depending on your insurance, you might need a referral. But when you call to make an appointment, they'll help you through those steps.
Scott Webb: And doctor, tell us about the new location at UK Healthcare Turfland. What are the benefits to having a clinic here and what can patients look forward to at this location?
Dr. Christopher Azbell: We are the excited to expand to Turfland. This is something we have been working on for over a year now. First, we're excited to have a separate location, just a point that is easier to access for some people, depending on what side of town you're on. The Turfland office is going to be brand new on the second floor of the UK Healthcare building there.
It's going to be focused specifically for children. That means a separate pediatric waiting area. That means colorful decorations, interactive art displays, things that make your child feel more at home during their appointment. We're going to have pediatric audiologist or hearing specialists out there with us and a pediatric dedicated staff out there as well.
In addition to being brand new and focused on kids, it's going to be really convenient. And that means, you park in the parking lot. You walk right in through the front door. You don't have to fight the traffic close to the university. You don't have to pay to park in a parking garage. You can easily get in and out.
We want the whole experience to be as easy as possible for kids and their families. We will still be able to provide comprehensive pediatric ear, nose and throat care at that location. And if your child needs more complex care through the children's hospital or another location, we can arrange for that to happen from the Turfland location.
Scott Webb: That's awesome. And it sounds like a lot of great benefits for families. And of course, decorating is key when it comes to pediatric offices. Kids really respond, you know, to, as you say, colorful decorations and things and toys and all of that. And you mentioned wanting to make them feel at home, and I wanted to ask you about COVID-19 and face-to-face visits versus virtual visits. Are you doing virtual visits, telehealth, telemedicine with kids and families? How are you kind of navigating all that with you and your partners?
Dr. Christopher Azbell: Absolutely. Well, first for the in-person visits, we do have comprehensive protective wear. That means face coverings, eye coverings for the doctors themselves, and we want to minimize any kind of unnecessary contact or exposure. But we are doing telehealth appointments. That can be helpful, particularly for established patients and particularly for issues that don't require an in-depth exam. And so when you call to make an appointment, if you would like a telehealth appointment, please just let the scheduler know and they can make that happen.
Scott Webb: That's great to know that people can opt for that. Of course, in some cases, the gold standard would still be a face-to-face, but I'm sure when possible, it's easier and better for everybody to do virtual visits, telehealth, telemedicine, whatever we're calling it these days.
Dr. Christopher Azbell: Absolutely. Whatever makes it easier.
Scott Webb: Yeah, definitely. So really, doctor, thank you so much for your time today and you stay well,
Dr. Christopher Azbell: Thank you so much. You too.
Scott Webb: Find out more information about our pediatric ENT program on the website, ukhealthcare.uky.edu.
And that wraps up another episode of UK HealthCast from the University of Kentucky Healthcare. Please remember to subscribe, rate and review this podcast and all of the other University of Kentucky Healthcare podcasts. I'm Scott Webb. Thanks for listening.
Scott Webb: Welcome to UK HealthCast from the University of Kentucky Healthcare. I'm Scott Webb. And today, we're discussing the ENT program at UK. And joining me today is Dr. Christopher Azbell. He's going to tell us about the program, how to make appointments and all about the new location in Turfland. And doctor, thanks so much for your time today. Tell us about the pediatric ENT program at UK.
Dr. Christopher Azbell: So the pediatric ENT program at UK, we now have three surgeons, Dr. Iverson, Dr. Fiorillo and myself, who all specialize in the ear, nose and throat care of children specifically. So we deal with all sorts of issues in pediatric patients. We all have specialized training beyond our standard ENT training to help us focus on the simple and complex problems that kids have.
Scott Webb: That's great and let's talk about the problems. What are some of the common issues or problems that the three of you treat?
Dr. Christopher Azbell: The most common issues are things like ear infections and hearing loss with the ears. We also see kids with breathing problems and snoring problems. Sometimes kids have recurrent throat infections or tonsilitis. We deal with newborns who might have feeding issues or breathing issues. We also deal with chronic sinus disease. We deal with congenital neck masses. We also deal with more complex structural airway issues.
Scott Webb: So then, what makes the program unique? Is that the skills and qualifications of the surgeons, maybe the actual treatment of patients?
Dr. Christopher Azbell: Our pediatric ENT practice is unique first because of the extra training and practice that all of our surgeons have had. We not only completed a five-year ENT residency, like all ENTs, but we completed additional specific training focused entirely on the care of pediatric ear, nose and throat issues. This means dealing with both the simple and more complex ENT issues that children might have.
We also all happen to be parents ourselves, and we know it can be quite challenging bringing a child into the office. We think that our experience with kids at home helps us to provide better care to kids at work.
Scott Webb: And you mentioned that you and your two surgeon colleagues are parents yourselves. So how do you think this changes the way you interact with patients and their families? How do you think it influences the way you care for patients?
Dr. Christopher Azbell: We deal with kids all the time at home. And so I think, you know, there's not always an easy way to communicate and get a history from a young child or even a little bit older child. And so part of that is our practice at home. We know how to negotiate and how to deal with kids and how to optimize that interaction with the child and the parent to best figure out what the problem is and figure out how to treat it.
I always laugh when parents come into my office and apologize for their kids acting the way that they do. And I tell them, you know, "I have a three and a five-year-old at home, like you don't have to apologize for anything. I know how kids are." And Dr. Iverson and Dr. Fiorillo are certainly the same way. So being a parent is not always an easy job, but it certainly helps us in the real life job that we have.
Scott Webb: How do we make an appointment? Do families need referrals?
Dr. Christopher Azbell: So there are a few ways. You can go onto our website, onto the UK Hospital website and make an appointment. You can also call us through UKMDs. You can also call our clinic directly at (859) 218-2163 to make an appointment. Depending on your insurance, you might need a referral. But when you call to make an appointment, they'll help you through those steps.
Scott Webb: And doctor, tell us about the new location at UK Healthcare Turfland. What are the benefits to having a clinic here and what can patients look forward to at this location?
Dr. Christopher Azbell: We are the excited to expand to Turfland. This is something we have been working on for over a year now. First, we're excited to have a separate location, just a point that is easier to access for some people, depending on what side of town you're on. The Turfland office is going to be brand new on the second floor of the UK Healthcare building there.
It's going to be focused specifically for children. That means a separate pediatric waiting area. That means colorful decorations, interactive art displays, things that make your child feel more at home during their appointment. We're going to have pediatric audiologist or hearing specialists out there with us and a pediatric dedicated staff out there as well.
In addition to being brand new and focused on kids, it's going to be really convenient. And that means, you park in the parking lot. You walk right in through the front door. You don't have to fight the traffic close to the university. You don't have to pay to park in a parking garage. You can easily get in and out.
We want the whole experience to be as easy as possible for kids and their families. We will still be able to provide comprehensive pediatric ear, nose and throat care at that location. And if your child needs more complex care through the children's hospital or another location, we can arrange for that to happen from the Turfland location.
Scott Webb: That's awesome. And it sounds like a lot of great benefits for families. And of course, decorating is key when it comes to pediatric offices. Kids really respond, you know, to, as you say, colorful decorations and things and toys and all of that. And you mentioned wanting to make them feel at home, and I wanted to ask you about COVID-19 and face-to-face visits versus virtual visits. Are you doing virtual visits, telehealth, telemedicine with kids and families? How are you kind of navigating all that with you and your partners?
Dr. Christopher Azbell: Absolutely. Well, first for the in-person visits, we do have comprehensive protective wear. That means face coverings, eye coverings for the doctors themselves, and we want to minimize any kind of unnecessary contact or exposure. But we are doing telehealth appointments. That can be helpful, particularly for established patients and particularly for issues that don't require an in-depth exam. And so when you call to make an appointment, if you would like a telehealth appointment, please just let the scheduler know and they can make that happen.
Scott Webb: That's great to know that people can opt for that. Of course, in some cases, the gold standard would still be a face-to-face, but I'm sure when possible, it's easier and better for everybody to do virtual visits, telehealth, telemedicine, whatever we're calling it these days.
Dr. Christopher Azbell: Absolutely. Whatever makes it easier.
Scott Webb: Yeah, definitely. So really, doctor, thank you so much for your time today and you stay well,
Dr. Christopher Azbell: Thank you so much. You too.
Scott Webb: Find out more information about our pediatric ENT program on the website, ukhealthcare.uky.edu.
And that wraps up another episode of UK HealthCast from the University of Kentucky Healthcare. Please remember to subscribe, rate and review this podcast and all of the other University of Kentucky Healthcare podcasts. I'm Scott Webb. Thanks for listening.