An otolaryngology surgical coding and reporting system.

A computerized information-gathering system has been developed at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Dallas for otolaryngologic head and neck surgery. Surgeons enter data on operations by answering multiple-choice questions at computer terminals situated near the operating rooms of each hospital. The system's main functions are to ensure completeness in the collection of operation data, allow easy review of such data for weekly conferences, and increase availability of such information for future comprehensive analysis. The scheme for data input, the logics of classifications, and the benefits of such a system are described.