Ear, Nose, Throat, Head and Neck Surgery Department Functioning as a Team in Nigeria: Any Benefit?

Abstract

To call attention to the synergistic benefit of working as a team in a clinical department and to encourage others, to emulate this pattern of patients' care for better results. Patients that were seen at the Ear, Nose, Throat, Head and Neck Surgery Clinic of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria, who had the benefit of their cases reviewed by more than one consultant were included into the study. Parameters retrieved from the case notes included number of consultants that reviewed each case, age, sex of patients, diagnosis, whether there was controversy, complimentary or synergistic benefit from the team work. 124 patients completed the study. 99 patients (79.84%) were reviewed by two consultants and 25 (20.16%) were reviewed by three of the four consultants available in the department. 79 (63.71%) patients had the benefit of a complimentary management, while 38 (30.65%) had synergistic benefit from the team work. Intradepartmental team work in patient management produces synergistic benefit for patients and more experience among consultant staff.