Abstract

Objective. Minor surgery in family practice in Estonia is defined in the job description of family doctors. The procedures of minor surgery, listed in the job description of family doctors, are performed by family doctors as well as by surgeons and by specialists of the emergency service. The aim of the current study was to collect data about the number of the procedures of minor surgery procedures performed, as well as about the medical units where they are performed.
Methods. The data of nine procedures of minor surgery in 2004 and 2005 were drawn from the database of the Estonian Health Insurance Fund.
Results. Urgent problems of minor surgery are usually solved in emergency departments, non-urgent  medical cases are usually managed by clinical surgeons and by family doctors. Altogether 90% of non-urgent minor surgery cases are treated by the specialists of the emergency service and by surgeons and only 10% are treated by family doctors. The study also showed that the performance of minor surgery in family practices is cost-effective and hence deserves more attention.
Conclusion. Minor surgery is part of the family doctors’ work in Estonia. The future development of activity and quality of this field will be supported by a new programme for family doctors with a special focus on minor surgery.