Comparison of adult inpatient endocrine consultations between non-surgical and surgical departments in a tertıary care hospital: is there any difference?

Aim: We aimed to compare the number and endocrine reasons of consultations between non-surgical departments (NSDs) and surgical departments (SDs). Material and Methods: Adult inpatient endocrine consultations during working hours for 7 consecutive months in our center were retrospectively reviewed. Patients who were discharged before consultation, consulted by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) service, or referred for consultation for thyroid ultrasound, biopsy, and prescription were excluded. The patients' age and gender, the consultation department (NSDs and SDs), the endocrine issue for consultation, and preoperative or other consultations were recorded. If the consultation recommends a new medication, discontinuation of a medication, or a change in medication dosage, or provides advice on the preoperative management of endocrine diseases, such as suggesting a glucose-insulin infusion protocol, the consultation was considered improvement management (IM). If the consulted physician did not make a new diagnosis or prescribe a new therapy other than to support the present plan, it was accepted as no improvement management (NIM). Results: A total of 361 consultations were received, but data from 46 were excluded. The remaining 315 consultations and 214 patients were analysed. The rates of consultations that NIM were significantly higher in NSDs in all endocrine issues except bone and calcium metabolism. The department with the highest consultations was dermatology. The most consulted endocrine issue was diabetes in both NSDs and SDs, the second one was thyroid in NSDs and pituitary in SDs. The mean glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) of consultations that NIM and the mean thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) level of patients with repeated consultations were significantly low and high, respectively. Conclusion: Since the incidence of endocrine diseases is expected to increase in the future, training to be conducted according to the related endocrine issue, especially for consultations from the NSDs, could reduce NIM consultation rates.