The effect of telephone counseling and internet-based support on pain and recovery after tonsil surgery in children – a systematic review

Objectives The recovery after tonsil surgery is often troublesome for children and caregivers often feel insecure regarding optimal post-operative care for their children at home. The aim was to study what the current literature reports regarding the effect of post-operative telephone counselling and Internet support on pain and recovery after paediatric tonsil surgery. Method A systematic literature review was conducted where only randomised clinical trials were included. Outcome measures Primary outcome measure was pain after surgery. Secondary outcomes also included nausea, anxiety, children's knowledge, use of analgesics, fluid intake and health care service use. Results Only four studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The studies were heterogeneous, rendering a meta-analysis impossible. The results of the included studies showed a possible positive effect on postoperative pain, as well as level of anxiety, use of analgesics, fluid intake and health care service use. However, the studies were few with few included participants. Conclusion There were indications, but no definitive evidence supporting the positive effect of telephone counselling or Internet-based support on pain and recovery after tonsil surgery in children. More research is needed to further examine these effects. ClinicalTrials.gov 12/03/2017 (NCT03292068).