AB189. SOH24AB_113. An otologist’s workload: all ears?

Background: Higher specialist training for otolaryngology (ENT) surgery in Ireland consists of training for all aspects of ENT. Trainees then declare a subspecialty towards conclusion of training. Of six ENT consultants St Vincent’s University Hospital Dublin (SVUH), there is only one dedicated otologist. Otology conditions ranked 3rd and 4th on the top 25 most frequent presentations for ENT in 2018. Although Otological surgeries account for the majority of procedures performed, the subspecialty is hampered by the volume of general work. We aimed to analyse the breakdown of an otologist’s workload in terms of true otology versus general ENT in a model 4 hospital in Dublin.

Methods: We retrospectively surveyed all surgical procedures carried out publicly over a 10-year period by said otologist. Procedures were grouped into otology, rhinology, laryngology, benign head and neck, and general ENT.

Results: Over 10 years, 2,039 cases were recorded, and 634 (31%) of which were otology cases; 573 (28%) were rhinology, 558 (27%) general ENT, 195 (10%) laryngology, and 79 (4%) benign head and neck.

Conclusions: Only 31% of the workload in our practice consisted of true otology cases. Major otology cases were carried out primarily in SVUH, with minor cases in St. Michael’s Hospital. Despite otology cases being the majority of surgeries performed when broken down to subspecialties, 69% were non-otological. Unlike in the UK, there are no consultant posts in Ireland for general ENT, with every post designated a specialist interest. General ENT positions may allow non-oncological subspecialties to thrive further in the future.

Keywords: General otolaryngology (general ENT); otology; subspecialty; training; workload