Service evaluation of the on-call experience of OMFS SHOs providing ENT cross-cover over a 6-week period in a District General Hospital

Abstract

In certain units in the UK, OMFS SHOs are required to provide cross-cover support for ENT. The purpose of this service evaluation was to determine the range and complexity of on-call requests that an SHO in OMFS may have to manage for ENT in a district general hospital. The workload this generated and the frequency of need for 2nd on-call contact was explored, together with a comparison with OMFS duties. Data was collected prospectively over a 6-week period in Chesterfield Royal Hospital for all on-call cases by the OMFS SHOs working in the unit. It was found that that ENT workload was approximately equal to the OMFS workload, but the 2nd on-call for ENT was contacted almost three times more compared to OMFS 2nd on-call. ENT cross-cover presented a wide range of referrals, with throat conditions most common and forming 36% of all referrals. Throat problems also generate the greatest number of 2nd on-call requests from OMFS SHOs (62.5%), compared to the need to call for ear (42%) and nose (43%) problems. This service evaluation suggests that OMFS SHOs require senior support more often when dealing with ENT duties compared to OMFS duties. The majority of OMFS SHOs are not medically qualified and may perceive a need for more standardised training before embarking on providing ENT cross-cover. A questionnaire has also been completed by past and present OMFS SHOs in order to evaluate their experience of providing ENT cover, the results of which will be presented.