Reducing readmissions after paediatric tonsil surgery

Please note that this guidance is currently undergoing review by Safer Care Victoria to ensure  the content is up to date. In the meantime, we recommend that you also refer to more contemporaneous evidence where possible.

Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy are the most common surgeries for children and are usually carried out  to treat snoring, obstructive sleep apnoea or frequent tonsillitis.

Around 70 hospitals in Victoria perform tonsillectomies and adenoidectomies, and our data shows around 10 per cent of hospitals have readmission rates higher than expected for these surgeries.

We partnered with five health services to develop consumer and clinician resources for health services to use, to help families understand what to expect after their child’s tonsil surgery.

You can use these as part of a targeted improvement initiative to minimise the risk of children needing to return to hospital after tonsil surgery.

Caring for your child before and after tonsil surgery 

This fact sheet will help families understand what to expect before tonsil surgery. 

Watch our consumer videos to see families share their experiences in caring for a child before and on the day of tonsil surgery

This fact sheet will help families care for their child when returning home after surgery. It also details when to seek medical help if they are worried.

Pain management plan at home

Our pain management plan template helps families understand what medication to give their child and when, along with other tips to help manage their child’s pain.

Clinician phone script: Tonsillectomy follow up

This script helps clinicians provide advice and answer questions when calling families to follow up on how their child is recovering and to troubleshoot any issues. We recommend this is done day four after surgery, when the pain is likely to be worse.

Reducing readmissions after tonsil surgery implementation resources 

Use our Reducing readmissions after tonsil surgery implementation package and project presentation as part of a targeted improvement initiative to minimise the risk of children needing to return to hospital after tonsil surgery.

Background

Read more to find out about the project’s aims and read our Summary report: Reducing readmissions after paediatric tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy to see the change ideas, resources and the positive combined results of testing these resources in participating health services during the project.