Post-tonsillectomy patient care in the community

Tonsillectomy is a frequently performed surgical procedure. Problems arisin g in the early postoperative period will have an important impact on commun ity and hospital resources. We determined the type of problems that occur a nd the way these problems are managed. We monitored 203 patients undergoing routine tonsillectomy by a postoperative telephone survey and contacted th eir general practitioners, 164 in all. We found 46% of the patients experie nced problems post-discharge which led to early contact with a doctor. Infe ction was identified in 26% and secondary haemorrhage in 11%. Common sympto ms associated with the prescribing of antibiotics were sore throat (74%) an d secondary haemorrhage (41%). Each GP saw, on average, 2.4 post-tonsillect omy patients per annum. The diagnosis of post-tonsillectomy infection is di fficult. This was reflected in the wide variation of clinical features used to diagnose post-tonsillectomy infection by doctors. The vast majority (95 %) of GPs expressed a desire for a framework for treating post-tonsillectom y complications.