Current status of outpatient surgery in German ENT clinics. Exemplary analysis of a university hospital

Objective: German ENT clinics currently do not attach great importance to outpatient surgical procedures. However, up-to-date data on the proportion of outpatient surgeries are not yet available.

Methods: In a retrospective study, outpatient surgical procedures using anesthesia or sedation at a German ENT clinic were analyzed as an illustrative case study.

Results: In 2010, the proportion of outpatient surgeries performed under anesthesia or sedation in relation to the total number of surgeries performed under anesthesia or sedation was no more than 3.1%. Although a broad range of surgeries was offered, mainly adenoidectomies were carried out.

Conclusions: In view of the increasingly limited financial resources in the German health care system and considering the situation in international health care systems, the significance of outpatient surgical procedures in ENT clinics is expected to increase in the future. Future-oriented clinic organization should therefore include sufficient capacity for outpatient surgeries. The basic requirement is realistic cost reimbursement by the insurers.