A 60-year-old man has presented to his family physician following an earache that has
become progressively more painful in recent days. Following a history and examination
with an otoscope, the man has been diagnosed with otitis externa. Which of the
physician's following statements to the man is most accurate?
A) "You'll need to avoid getting any water in your ear until you finish your course of
antibiotic pills."
B) "I'm going to instill some warm water into your ear to flush out debris and
bacteria."
C) "I'll prescribe some ear drops for you, and in the mean time, it's important not to
use ear swabs."
D) "This likely happened because your ears aren't draining like they should, but
antibiotics that you'll put in your ears will resolve this."
C