Abstract
Background: In Ireland, specialist paediatric surgery is carried out in paediatric hospitals in Dublin. General surgeons/consultants in other surgical specialities provide paediatric surgical care in regional centres. There has been a failure to train general surgeons with paediatric skills to replace these surgeons upon retirement. Aim: To assess paediatric surgical workload in one regional centre to focus the debate regarding the future provision of general paediatric surgery in Ireland. Methods: Hospital in-patient enquiry (HIPE) system was used to identify total number of paediatric surgical admissions and procedures. Cases assessed requiring hospital transfer. Results: Of 17,478 surgical patients treated, 2,584 (14.8%) were under 14 years. A total of 2,154 procedures were performed. Conclusion: Regional centres without dedicated paediatric surgeons deliver care to large numbers of paediatric patients. The demand for care highlights the need for formal paediatric services/appropriate surgical training for general surgical trainees.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 29-33 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Irish Journal of Medical Science |
| Volume | 179 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2010 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Hospital in-patient enquiry (HIPE)
- Paediatric admissions
- Paediatric surgery
- Regional surgical services
- Surgical admissions
