NRS-21484 | Registers of surgical operations [Balmain Hospital]

Full description

These are registers of surgical operations carried out at Balmain Hospital.

The information in the registers varies over time. The early volumes only provide the date of the operation, the name of the patient, the doctor and a remarks column recording the procedure performed. By 1956, the registers have changed in format and record: date, patient's name, anaesthetist, anaesthetic, operation, surgeon, assistant and sister. In June 1961, a column was added to record “Tubes” (later “Drains”) used. There is a register for the period February 1947 to January 1958 which varies in format and overlaps the dates of other volumes in the series. It records: date, name, age, sex, operation, surgeon and anaesthetic used. A Remarks column has been used to record the name of the anaesthetist. While it generally lists the same patients and operations as in the other volumes, there are variations in the spellings of names, and other differences. It is not clear why this volume was maintained separately from the main sequence of registers.

In October 1961, the hospital began using printed (form R1) registers issued in accordance with the official requirement that such registers be kept. These volumes change slightly over time but generally record: date, designation of theatre, serial number, name and age of patient, ward, anaesthetic, duration, anaesthetist, nature of operation, surgeon, assistant, registered nurse/theatre sister in attendance, pathological condition found at operation, and remarks. From April 1986, the patient's medical record number was recorded.