Aim: To assess the difficulties parents have caring for a child at home after day stay tonsillectomy.
Method: Parents of fifty two children who had day stay tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy were questioned by telephone the following morning and 10 to 14 days following surgery about difficulties they had experienced following discharge from the unit.
Results: The following morning six parents (12%) found the pain difficult to manage with paracetamol and in nine children (17%) the fluid intake was poor. The patient's general practitioner was consulted for advice by fifteen parents (30%) during the postoperative period. Psychological problems were experienced by four children (8%). The majority of parents had few problems and felt comfortable caring for the child at home following surgery.
Conclusions: While most parents were happy caring for the child at home some parents had difficulties particularly with pain relief and ensuring adequate fluid intake. Communication links and support for these parents need to be improved. Surgical and anaesthetic techniques to reduce postoperative discomfort also need to be explored.