Follow-up phone calls after pediatric ambulatory surgery for tonsillectomy: what can we learn from families?
The purpose of this quality improvement study was to describe families' responses regarding the adequacy of the preoperative preparation provided in the Preoperative Assessment Clinic, and the necessity of two follow-up phone calls after pediatric ambulatory surgery for tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy (T+/-A). Using a questionnaire developed for the study, 90 families were contacted by phone on the first postoperative day and, of them, 73 were contacted a second time between the ninth and twelfth postoperative days. Families' responses were reported in four categories: (1) concerns, (2) use of resources, (3) adequacy of the preoperative teaching, and (4) necessity of the two postoperative phone calls. Results showed that, at the first phone call, a sore throat was reported as the most important concern followed by a decreased oral intake (ie, fluid, food, medicine), vomiting, and fever or "perceived fever." During the second phone call, a sore throat remained the most important concern followed by a decreased intake. Earache was the third highest concern and vomiting was then reported of concern by a minority of families. The most frequently consulted resource person for concerns was the physician on call for the otolaryngology service. Eighty-seven percent of families felt the preoperative preparation was adequate. For reasons of instructional and/or emotional support, 94% of families who responded reported that the first phone call was necessary and 68% reported that the second call was as well.
Preoperative Assessment Clinic, McGill University Health Centre-The Montreal Children's Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. thao.le@mubc.mcgill.ca
Thao
T
Le
Julie
J
Drolet
Elvie
E
Parayno
Christina
C
Rosmus
Sonia
S
Castiglione
D000233:Adenoidectomy; D000293:Adolescent; D000359:Aftercare / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology*; D000556:Ambulatory Surgical Procedures / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000209:etiology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000458:organization & administration; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D010612:Pharyngitis / Q000209:etiology; D020250:Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting / Q000209:etiology; D011300:Preoperative Care / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D011792:Quebec; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013689:Telephone; D014068:Tonsillectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000458:organization & administration