NC doctor tells patient to put hand sanitizer in ear, receives reprimand
A Concord ear, nose and throat doctor was reprimanded by the North Carolina Medical Board this month after telling a patient to put hand sanitizer in her ear.
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Dr. Robert Patel Quinn, who owns an independent practice with offices in Concord and Salisbury, saw the 47-year-old woman in September 2024 when she came in for left ear pain and fullness. After a brief examination, Quinn recommended treatment with hand sanitizer applied into the ear canals during the visit and at home, according to a reprimand issued by the medical board July 16.
“He personally demonstrated the procedure, instructed [the patient] to apply hand sanitizer daily for several weeks, and advised her to return in a month for re-evaluation. Dr. Quinn also provided written instructions documenting this treatment plan,” the board’s order states.
Quinn did not respond to a request for comment.
The patient filed a complaint with the board because she was concerned the recommendation was unsafe.
Quinn’s treatment of the patient fell below the standard of care because he performed “only a minimal assessment,” did not document a proper differential diagnosis and did not offer basic diagnostic tests that were appropriate given her symptoms, according to the board.
His advice to apply hand sanitizer “exposed [the patient] to potential harm” because the compound is for external use only and could irritate or injure an ear canal, the board found.
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“This practice has no recognized benefit, is unsupported by medical literature, and is not an accepted treatment for [ear wax] removal or ear irritation,” the board’s order states. “Treatment with hand sanitizer for [ear wax] removal or ear irritation is unsafe, unjustified and a significant departure from the standard of care.”
Quinn was first issued a license to practice medicine in 1986 and has admitting privileges at multiple Novant Health and Atrium Health locations, according to his medical board record.
Quinn offers treatment for allergies, hearing and sleep issues, general ear, nose and throat concerns and cosmetic procedures, according to his website.
Quinn graduated from medical school at Ohio State in 1980. He completed residencies in New York and Massachusetts, a surgical internship in Ohio and an otolaryngology fellowship in New York in the early-to-mid 1980s.
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