# Telephone Counseling for Children Recovering from Tonsil Surgery—A Randomized Controlled Feasibility Study

## TL;DR

This study explores whether telephone counseling by nurses helps children recover better after tonsil surgery.

## Contribution

The study introduces a novel approach of nurse-led telephone follow-up to support parents of children post-tonsil surgery.

## Key findings

- Parents in the intervention group reported fewer unplanned revisits after surgery.
- Recruitment challenges and incomplete assessments were noted as limitations.
- Throat pain was more frequently reported in the intervention group, possibly due to uneven surgery types.

## Abstract

Background: Even though children after tonsil surgery experience pain and other limitations in their daily lives, nursing care is transferred to parents after tonsil surgery, and they might need some kind of support. The aim of the study was to test the design of a randomized controlled trial intended to evaluate a nurse-led telephone follow-up after tonsil surgery on postoperative symptoms and quality of life. Methods: Of the seventeen children aged 3–17 years scheduled to tonsil surgery, nine were randomized to the intervention group and eight to the control group using a randomization list. The parents in the intervention group were contacted by telephone on days 1, 3, 5, and 10 postoperatively for counseling by a nurse. The instruments Postoperative Recovery in Children (PRiC) and the health-related quality of life instrument (EQ-5 D-Y) were used to evaluate postoperative symptoms and quality of life, respectively. Results: Eight participants in the intervention group reported throat pain compared to five participants in the control group on the operation day and four days after, possibly due to an uneven distribution of the type of surgery between the study groups. The parents appreciated the telephone counseling, and there were no unplanned revisits in the intervention group. However, it was difficult to recruit participants and the assessment tools were not always fully completed. Conclusions: No explicit conclusions can be drawn from this feasibility study due to the low number of participants and the study design needs adjustments.