Pediatric anesthesia & critical care
A Quality Improvement Initiative to Improve Early Postoperative Pain Outcomes After Tonsillectomy in Children
Authors' conclusion
Through the implementation of the tonsillectomy toolkit, we helped reduce early postoperative pain by 28% in the first year.
Study context
- Population
- Pediatric tonsillectomy/adenotonsillectomy patients
- Participants
- 420 patients
- Comparison
- Six-item tonsillectomy toolkit vs pretoolkit baseline
- Outcome
- Moderate to severe pain in PACU
- Follow-up
- Within 12 months
Methodological detailsbefore-after, statistical process control charts
- Before-after
- Statistical process control charts
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
first 12 months of toolkit implementation (2021-2022)
- Reduction in moderate to severe pain, Toolkit vs baseline
- 28%
Further findings
- Moderate-severe pain in postanesthesia care unit (PACU), subsequent years · 2022-2024 — Toolkit
- 31%
- Rescue opioids in PACU · first 12 months of toolkit implementation (2021-2022) — Toolkit
- 35%
- Rescue opioids in PACU, subsequent years · 2022 to 2024 — Toolkit
- 45%
- Moderate-severe pain in PACU, subsequent years — Reduction overall
- 53%
- Rescue opioids in PACU — Reduction
- 49%
- Rescue opioids in PACU, subsequent years — Reduction
- 35%
- Rescue opioids in PACU: Pretoolkit 69%
- Rescue opioids in PACU: 100% toolkit adherence group
Original publication
A Quality Improvement Initiative to Improve Early Postoperative Pain Outcomes After Tonsillectomy in Children. Paediatr Anaesth. Published 6 October 2025. doi:10.
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