Evidence based curriculum design—Use of a surgical database to identify non-perceived needs in educating otolaryngologists on pediatric conditions

ObjectiveTo identify the common non-otolaryngological diagnoses (N-OD) encountered by a pediatric otolaryngologist in surgical patients. This information may help in educating otolaryngologists on relevant pediatric conditions among their patients.Design/settingCross-sectional, retrospective database review of entries from 2006 to 2008 at a tertiary pediatric centre involving the patient case load of a busy pediatric otolaryngologist.Main outcome measuresThe main outcome of this study was to identify the common (N-OD) encountered by a pediatric otolaryngologist. Conditions excluded from the analysis were surgical complications and diagnoses managed primarily by otolaryngologists (sleep disordered breathing and allergic rhinitis).Results1357 pediatric surgical entries were identified. Of these, 524 (38.6%) entries contained N-OD and underwent surgery. A total of 580 N-OD were identified for these 524 patients. The N-OD were identified and categorized into the following subheadings: syndromes/associations, respiratory and cardiac, gastrointestinal, developmental, metabolic, and miscellaneous conditions. The most common N-OD are gastro-esophageal reflux disease, obesity, history of prematurity, congenital heart disease, asthma developmental delay and Down syndrome. The commonest categories encountered were developmental (138), cardio-respiratory (114) and gastro-intestinal (114).ConclusionsThis paper identifies the common N-OD encountered by a pediatric otolaryngologist in children managed at a tertiary level. The highlighted N-OD may help as a guide on curriculum content for training residents and fellows and continued medical education.