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The problem of seeing hospital staff without G.P. referral--the otolaryngological experience
Insights
Hospital staff frequently seek Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) care, with 77 seen in three months. This suggests a significant, unmet ENT demand within the hospital, comparable to a general practice patient load.
Area of Science:
- Otolaryngology
- Hospital Administration
- Public Health
Background:
- Hospital staff represent a unique patient population with specific healthcare needs.
- Understanding internal healthcare utilization patterns can optimize resource allocation.
- Previous studies have not extensively quantified ENT-related consultations among hospital personnel.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the demand for Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) services among hospital staff.
- To assess the proportion of ENT-related issues within a hospital workforce.
- To compare this internal demand to external general practitioner patient loads.
Main Methods:
- A three-month prospective audit of hospital staff seeking ENT consultations.
- Recording the total number of hospital employees and comparing ENT patient numbers to the average General Practitioner (GP) public patient list.
- Extrapolating three-month data to an annual estimate and calculating the percentage of the GP list represented by hospital staff ENT cases.
Main Results:
- Seventy-seven hospital staff members were seen by the ENT team over three months, equating to an annual estimate of 308 patients.
- This represents 11.7% of the average South Dublin GP Medical card holder list.
- The number of ENT consultations was approximately 46% of those seen by other surgical specialties (167).
Conclusions:
- A significant 'hidden' general practice, primarily ENT-focused, exists within the hospital staff population.
- The demand for ENT services among hospital staff is substantial and warrants further investigation and potential service planning.
- Internal healthcare utilization patterns, such as staff seeking ENT care, highlight the need for comprehensive health service assessments within large institutions.
Abstract:
Over a three month period, a record was kept of the number of hospital staff who approached the E.N.T. team requesting help for a medical problem. Staff members included doctors, nurses, clerical staff, paramedical staff and porters. The total number of employees in the hospital was recorded. The average General practitioner public patient list (General medical Service cardholders) for South Dublin was recorded (our hospital is in south west Dublin). The total number of hospital staff seen by E.N.T. in 3 months was seventy seven. The total number of hospital staff seen by other surgical specialties was approximately one hundred and sixty seven. Extrapolation of numbers seen by E.N.T. service in three months to numbers seen over a one year period is 308 patients. The numbers seen by the E.N.T. service in three months corresponds to 11.7% of the average South Dublin General Practitioner Medical card list. It has been estimated that approximately 20% of all problems the average General practitioner sees in a week are E.N.T. related. Those practices with a smaller paediatric population would have approximately 15% of the total practice concearned with E.N.T. problems. Therefore as 15% of 2,400 (total hospital staff) = 360, there is potentially a small General Practice which is 'hidden' within the hospital.
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