EP.TU.201Evaluating and Improving the Management of Tonsilitis in an A+E Department: An Educational Intervention

Aims Tonsilitis is one of the most common presentations to the A+E department. We aimed to assess whether patients presenting with tonsilitis are being managed in-line with current guidance. We then set out to educate A+E staff about tonsilitis management and then assessed for improvement in management. Methods All patients presenting to A+E in one fortnight with a documented diagnosis of tonsilitis were included. We reviewed the notes to assess the choice of treatment in each case and whether a clinical score was used to guide choice of treatment (in accordance with NICE guideline [NG84]). We designed and delivered an educational intervention for A+E staff covering tonsilitis guidelines. The audit was repeated two weeks later. Results Over the study period, 49 patients were included; only 35% (n = 17) had either a clinical score documented or had all components of a score recorded. In total, 39% (n = 19) were treated with antibiotics. Of these, 63% (n = 12) should not have been prescribed an antibiotic and 37% (n = 7) were prescribed an inappropriate antibiotic. At re-audit, (n = 50 cases), 58% (n = 29) had a clinical score documented and 28% (n = 14) were treated with antibiotics. Of these, 29% (n = 4) should not have been prescribed antibiotics and 21% (n = 3) were prescribed an inappropriate antibiotic. Thus, after this teaching session, there was a significant improvement in antibiotic prescribing practices (63% vs 29%, p = 0.026). Conclusions A+E assessment and management of tonsilitis frequently deviated from guidelines, but a single teaching session vastly improved clinical scoring and antibiotic prescribing practices.