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Operative workload of a paediatric otolaryngology department over a five-year period
1Department of Otolaryngology, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, 100 Bukit Timah Road, Singapore. kangweelee@yahoo.com.sg
Insights
Singapore
Area of Science:
- Otolaryngology
- Pediatric Surgery
- Healthcare Management
Background:
- KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKWCH) is Singapore's sole tertiary facility for women and children's healthcare.
- Since 1997, KKWCH has seen a significant rise in clinical caseloads and medical condition complexity.
- This review focuses on the operative caseloads within the Department of Otolaryngology from 2000 to 2004.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the trends in operative caseloads in the Department of Otolaryngology at KKWCH over a five-year period.
- To identify the most common otolaryngological procedures performed on pediatric patients.
- To provide insights into the patterns of otolaryngological surgical disease in Singapore's pediatric population.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective review of operative records from the KKWCH Department of Otolaryngology.
- Data collection focused on the type and frequency of surgical operations performed between 2000 and 2004.
- Data were collated and presented in a descriptive format.
Main Results:
- Operative procedures increased by 75% from 656 in 2000 to 1,148 in 2004.
- Increased staffing, operating hours, and demand for pediatric otolaryngology services likely contributed to the rise.
- Tonsillectomy (with or without adenoidectomy) and myringotomy with tympanostomy tube insertion were the most frequent procedures, comprising 78.2% of the total pediatric otolaryngological workload.
Conclusions:
- The study reviews current patterns of otolaryngological surgical conditions in Singapore's pediatric population requiring intervention.
- Monitoring these trends is crucial for effective resource allocation.
- This understanding aids in the prevention and treatment of common pediatric surgical otolaryngological conditions.
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.
