Operative workload of a paediatric otolaryngology department over a five-year period

Kang WL, Balakrishnan A
Correspondence: Dr Wee Lee Kang, kangweelee@yahoo.com.sg

ABSTRACT
Introduction The KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKWCH) is Singapore's only tertiary institution dedicated wholly to the provision of healthcare for women and children. Since its opening in 1997, the clinical caseloads and the complexity of medical conditions managed by the various departments has increased considerably. This review aims to analyse the operative caseloads in the Department of Otolaryngology over five years from 2000 to 2004.
Methods This is a retrospective review of the KKWCH Department of Otolaryngology operative records from year 2000 to 2004. The data on the type of operation and their frequency were collated, and the data are presented in a descriptive format.
Results There was an increase in the number of operations performed from 656 in year 2000 to 1,148 in 2004, an increase of 75 percent. The increase in the staffing and operating clinical hours (in 2003 and 2004) plus the significant demand for paediatric otolaryngology service probably contributed to this increase. Tonsillectomy, with or without adenoidectomy, continues to be the most common procedure being performed in children, with myringotomy and tympanostomy tube insertion being the second commonest. Together, the ten most common operative procedures constitute 78.2 percent of all paediatric otolaryngological operative workload in the department over a five-year period.
Conclusion The data provided a review of the current pattern of otolaryngological surgical disease in the Singapore paediatric population, which may require operative intervention. Understanding and monitoring of this trend is important, as it allows the proper allocation of appropriate resources for the prevention and treatment of common paediatric surgical otolaryngological conditions.

Keywords: children, operative workload, otolaryngology, tonsillectomy
Singapore Med J 2006; 47(7): 614-616