The Time Preferred by Patients to Undergo Surgery: What Proportion Would Accept Day-Case Versus Overnight Tonsillectomy/Adenotonsillectomy?

BACKGROUND: Day-case tonsillectomy is becoming popular with varying patients' satisfaction. Whether day-case or overnight tonsillectomy is safe and preferred by patients has been debatable among otorhinolaryngologists. To date, majority of otorhinolaryngologists in Tanzania are practicing overnight tonsillectomy unlike what is being practiced in other parts of the world. There is scarce literature regarding whether day-case or overnight surgical option is preferred by patients. OBJECTIVE: To assess the time preferred by patients to undergo surgery by ascertaining the proportion of patients who would prefer day-case to overnight tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy. METHODS: We conducted a hospital based cross sectional study at Ekenywa Specialised Hospital from January to December 2021. The study recruited 200 patients who underwent elective tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy. A structured questionnaire adopted from previously published studies and thereafter modified accordingly to fit the current study was used to collect relevant data. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 RESULTS: The study had more male participants 104(52%) than females, 96 (48%) with a male to female ratio of 1.1:1. Majority of the study participants were aged below 5 years. Male participants aged below 5 years accounted for 50% while females aged <5 years accounted for 65.6%. Of the 200 (100%) patients who returned the questionnaires, 135(67.5%) preferred discharge on the 1(st) day post surgery while 65 (32.5%) preferred discharge on the 2(nd) postoperative day or later. Similarly, five (2.5%) would have wished day-case tonsillectomy/adenotonsillectomy while 195(97.5%) preferred an overnight surgery. Patients with postoperative pyrexia, older patients and those discharged on the 2(nd) day post surgery or later were more likely to prefer a longer postoperative hospital stay. CONCLUSION: Day-case surgery seems feasible due to less risk of postoperative complications such as haemorrhage and fever. Majority of the participants in this study preferred overnight tonsillectomy/adenotonsillectomy.