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General practitioners' versus consultants' perspective on indications for paediatric tonsillectomy: current trends

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 December 2011

J Manickavasagam ,
S Ali  and
M S Quraishi
J Manickavasagam*
Affiliation:
Otorhinolaryngology, Head and neck surgery, Doncaster Royal Infirmary, UK
S Ali
Affiliation:
Otorhinolaryngology, Head and neck surgery, Doncaster Royal Infirmary, UK
M S Quraishi
Affiliation:
Otorhinolaryngology, Head and neck surgery, Doncaster Royal Infirmary, UK
*
Address for correspondence: Mr J Manickavasagam, 14 Brocco Bank, Sheffield S11 8RR, UK E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Aims:

We undertook a study to ascertain what factors general practitioners consider important when referring children for tonsillectomy, and to compare these views with those of consultant ENT surgeons.

Methods:

Web-based questionnaire study.

Results:

A total of 141 general practitioners and 146 consultants responded. Tonsillectomy in children was regarded as a useful operation by 65 per cent of general practitioners and 98 per cent of consultant ENT surgeons. This difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001, chi-square test). In 1994, Donnelly et al. found that 92 per cent of general practitioners considered tonsillectomy in children a useful operation; our results were significantly different (p < 0.001, chi-square test).

Conclusions:

There is a good level of awareness and agreement on the currently accepted indications for paediatric tonsillectomy in both groups. However, there were important areas of difference between the two groups with regard to ‘glue ear’, recurrent ear infections and snoring. Standardised indications for tonsillectomy should be effectively disseminated to general practitioners.

Keywords

TonsillectomyChildDecision MakingGeneral PractitionersConsultantsSpecialization
Type
Main Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 126 , Issue 2 , February 2012 , pp. 163 - 167
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 2011

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Footnotes

Presented as a poster at the 13th British Academic Conference in Otolaryngology and ENT Expo 8–10 July 2009, Liverpool, UK

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