Paediatric tonsillectomy: parental experience and outcomes.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate parental experience, satisfaction and outcomes following their child's tonsillectomy surgery.


METHODS
Structured postal questionnaire sent to the parents or guardians of 77 sequential children undergoing elective day-case tonsillectomy.


METHODS
Seventy-seven children with a mean age of 6.25 years (range three to 17 years) undergoing day-case tonsillectomy predominantly for recurrent acute tonsillitis, upper airway obstruction or a combination of these symptoms; 63.6 per cent of the parents or guardians of these children responded to the questionnaire.


RESULTS
There was overall satisfaction with the operation, and positive health outcomes.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite the current public health agenda to limit access to routine high volume operations such as childhood tonsillectomy on economic grounds, the users of this service rated the outcomes and benefits of the procedure highly.
Robb
P J
PJ
Department of Otolaryngology, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, UK. peter.robb@epsom-sthelier.nhs.uk
Gowrinath
K
K
Agyeman
K
K
Joseph
J
J
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000592:standards; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014068:Tonsillectomy / Q000523:psychology*; D014069:Tonsillitis / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome