Orthopaedic procedures in a secondary health facility

Abstract

To document the pattern of orthopaedic/trauma procedures in the main theatre of a secondary health facility in south west, Nigeria in relation to the total number of surgical procedures done from Jan. 1998 to Dec. 2007 ( a 10 year period). A retrospective study was carried out. The operation registers and the case notes of all patients that had any form of procedure in the main theatre of the hospital from Jan. 1998 to Dec. 2007 were used. The study was carried out at the State Hospital, Ijaiye, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria. Data was collected from the operation registers and the case notes of patients that underwent surgical procedures in relation to Age, Sex, type of procedure, year of surgery and the department/unit that performed the procedure. A total of 5547 surgical procedures were performed in the Main Theatre of the hospital by 4 departments (orthopaedic/trauma, General Surgery, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, and Ophthalmology) from Jan.1998 to Dec. 2007, out of which 2504(45.1%) were done by the orthopaedic/trauma unit.1504(60.1%) of the Orthopaedic procedures were in males while 1000 (39.9%) were carried out in females, thus giving a male: female ratio of 1.5 to 1. 1875(74.9%) were in patients 18years and above, while 629(25.1%) were in patients less than 18years. The age range was from 4 months to 85 years. We conclude that the establishment of orthopaedic/trauma unit in our secondary health facility contributed significantly to the healthcare service delivery of the facility to the host community and beyond. Suggestion is made for establishment of orthopaedic/trauma units in various secondary health facilities to provide modern orthopaedic care so as to discourage patronage of traditional bone setters.

Nigerian Medical Practitioner Vol. 54 (3-4) 2008: pp. 53-55