Causes and consequences of consultation to ear nose throat physicians: a retrospective analysis

Background: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the results and the results of the consultations requested by other branch physicians in order to get the diagnosis and treatment suggestions about the patients with a pathology which is thought to be related to the Ear- Nose- Throat Diseases clinic. Methods: Between January 2017 and January 2018 in our hospital, 500 patients who were consulted from the Ear- Nose- Throat Diseases clinic were analyzed retrospectively. The mean age of the patients was 46 (1-100), 298 were male (59.6%) and 202 were female (40.4%). Clinics seeking consultation, causes of consultation request, symptoms found in consultation cases, decisions after consultation and procedures were recorded. Results: The clinics that requested the most consultations from the Ear-Nose-Throat Diseases clinic were found to be Emergency Service (403 patients- 80.6%) and as Inpatient Internal Clinic and Surgical Services. The most frequent reasons for consultation were sore throat (90 patients- 22.33%), ear pain (70 patients- 17.36%), and nosebleeds (60 patients- 14.88%). Ear-Nose-Throat (K.B.B.) Disease consultation was requested in 1% of all patients, 4% of the operation was performed with local anesthesia, 9% of the elective surgery was recommended. Conclusion: The use of adequate number of specialist health personnel in clinics such as Emergency Service, increasing the knowledge and experience of the related branch expertise and being selective about the consultation will reduce the number of unnecessary consultation and workload