Perspectives of Young Otolaryngologists on Pediatric ENT and the Future of the Field in Turkey

The purpose of this study was to examine the current status and the future of pediatric otolaryngology in Turkey by evaluating the opinions of young otolaryngologists on pediatric otolaryngology. The study included 224 otolaryngology physicians who were senior residents registered with the Turkish Otolaryngology and Head-Neck Surgery Association (TORL-HNS). The physicians were in their last two years of otolaryngology training (154 physicians) or had completed their residency training and were in their first year of otolaryngology practice (70 physicians). They were approached via e-mail and Short Message Service (SMS) in October through December 2019 with a descriptive letter and asked to voluntarily complete an online questionnaire consisting of total 25 questions in five sections. The online questionnaire was sent to 224 physicians, and 109 (49%) participated in the survey. All 109 participants answered all the questions. Overall, 71 participants (65.1%) were in training for residency and 38 (34.9%) were in their first year of expertise. According to their professional interests, the participants listed rhinology (45 participants, 41.3%), head and neck surgery (27 participants, 24.8%), facial plastic surgery (19 participants, 17%), otology-neurotology (16 participants, 14.7%), and laryngology-phoniatry (2 participants, 1.8%) as their first preference for subspecialty. Pediatric otolaryngology was never a first choice among the participants, although four (3.7%) listed pediatric otolaryngology as their second preference. The aim of this study was to shed light on the current and future status of pediatric otolaryngology in Turkey. We believe the establishment of exclusive pediatric otolaryngology clinics under the umbrella of general ear, nose and throat (ENT) clinics and the foundation of officially approved fellowship programs would bring this subspecialty field to its deserved and desired level in our country.