Work loads of a sample of general surgeons in N.S.W

The work loads of 34 general surgeons in New South Wales during a six week period in 1977 have been determined. Data was obtained on the number of elective, emergency and supervised procedures, and of elective and emergency first consultations. The operative work loads were assessed by a simple grading system, and also by the "hernia-equivalent" method which relates the work involved in a given operation to that for an adult unilateral inguinal herniorrhaphy. The latter is arbitrarily given a score of one. The hernia-equivalent scores for academics, country and city surgeons were similar. The mean hernia-equivalent rating for the 2,321 operations assessed was 1.1; thus, the "typical" operation was equivalent to a herniorrhaphy. The mean number of operations per week was 11.4, or 12.6 hernia-equivalents. Assuming a 48-week working year, these figures represent an annual work load of 547 operations, or 605 hernia-equivalents. Comparison of these results with those obtained in the U.S.A. (the "SOSSUS" report) indicates that these work loads are almost three times those found for board-certified general surgeons in the U.S.A.