Department of Physiology provides advanced clinical diagnostic services for the University Hospital and for the whole of the Sultanate of Oman. It is the only department of its kind where such procedures are carried out under one roof, with high quality assurance and cost effectiveness.
The diagnostic tests provided by the department cover most of the spectrum of Neurophysiology, Cardiology, Pulmonology, Sleep Medicine, and other discrete tests. The sleep laboratory unit has been expanded to 3 procedure rooms and a control room. Outdated polysomnography (PSG) units have been replaced with 3 new digital PSG ones. The development and expansion of this unit has helped in reducing the waiting list for sleep studies. An advanced audiometry unit has been introduced to the department which has significant impact on neonatal and paediatric diagnostic hearing procedures. An Autonomic Function testing unit has started functioning in June 2008. A Physician from CPH has joined the hypertension outpatient clinic. The cardiac catheterization laboratory has started functioning in September 2008. The technical and administrative support to this laboratory is given by CPH.
The total number of procedures during 2007 was 11,154; Outpatients were 5,248 and In-patients, 3,379. A total of 2,491 patients were referred from outside government hospitals and private practitioners.
Cardiology showed the largest number of procedures (6,127), followed by Neurology (3,747), Pulmonary Function tests (534). Other procedures include Skin Tests (746), Audiometry (635), Polysomnography (147), and Others (12).
All the equipment used in this department is now digital and therefore the department is ready to be linked to other hospitals in Oman for remote investigation and patient data management. Apart from additions of new diagnostic procedures, the number of existing clinical tests has increased in all specialties, with some having had a substantial increase. Medical research has also increased and results from various projects have been published.