Abstract
Unnecessary outpatient follow-up appointments need to be minimised to increase effciency in the NHS. Trainee surgeons tend to follow-up more patients than consultants. We aimed to identify the difference in follow-up rates between trainee specialist registrars (SpRs) and a consultant's opinion to see if there was potential to decrease trainee follow-up rates. We retrospectively reviewed the letters of four general ENT (ear, nose and throat) clinics performed by fiveSpRs and noted the follow-up outcomes. The letters were then reviewed by a consultant otolaryngologist and their opinion on what the follow-up decision could have been was noted. 260 consultations were reviewed. SpRs had signifiicantly higher follow-up rates than the consultant (67% vs 27%, p < 0.0001, Chi squared test). There is potential to significantly reduce the follow-up rates of trainees in ENT surgery through appropriate training and monitoring.
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