Plain Language Summary for Patients: Tonsillectomy in Children

Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2019 Feb;160(2):206-212. doi: 10.1177/0194599818817758.

Abstract

This plain language summary for patients serves as an overview explaining tonsillectomy in children and to help patients, caregivers, and clinicians in their discussions about the reasons that a tonsillectomy may be needed, management options, and care related to the procedure. This summary applies to patients ages 1 through 18 years and is based on the 2019 "Clinical Practice Guideline: Tonsillectomy in Children (Update)." This evidence-based guideline mainly addresses the need for tonsillectomy based on breathing problems that take place during sleep and repeated sore throats or "tonsillitis." The guideline was developed to identify quality improvement opportunities in managing children under consideration for tonsillectomy and to create clear recommendations for clinicians to use in medical practice.

Keywords: child; plain language summary; polysomnography; sleep disordered breathing; tonsillectomy; tonsillitis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Comprehension
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Language
  • Male
  • Pain, Postoperative / diagnosis
  • Pain, Postoperative / drug therapy*
  • Patient Education as Topic / methods*
  • Physician-Patient Relations*
  • Prognosis
  • Recurrence
  • Risk Assessment
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Tonsillectomy / methods*
  • Tonsillitis / diagnosis
  • Tonsillitis / surgery*
  • Treatment Outcome