Local Application of Honey for Postoperative Pain Management and Associated Outcomes Following Tonsillectomy in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
- 2024-12-27
- Clinical otolaryngology : official journal of ENT-UK ; official journal of Netherlands Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology & Cervico-Facial Surgery 50(3)
- Seyed Javad Hosseini
- Seyed Reza Hosseini
- Amirreza Jamshidbeigi
- Gholam Reza Mahmoodi-Shan
- Fatemeh Hajiabadi
- Masoud Abdollahi
- Mahbobeh Firooz
- PubMed: 39730193
- DOI: 10.1111/coa.14276
Study Design
- Type
- Meta-Analysis
- Sample size
- n = 710
- Population
- children following tonsillectomy
- Methods
- Systematic search across multiple databases; Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing pain outcomes in children receiving honey in addition to standard treatments versus those receiving standard treatments alone were included; Meta-analysis performed using STATA version 14 software
- Duration
- 7.37 days
Background
This study investigates the effect of locally applied honey on pain intensity, analgesia consumption, pain relief and nighttime awakenings in children following tonsillectomy, addressing conflicting evidence and the lack of differentiation between adult and paediatric populations in previous reviews.Methods
A systematic search was conducted across multiple databases, including Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials.gov, MEDLINE, Web of Science and Google Scholar. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing pain outcomes in children receiving honey in addition to standard treatments versus those receiving standard treatments alone were included. Pain intensity was measured with the VAS tool. Meta-analysis was performed using STATA version 14 software. Also, risk of bias and certainty of evidence were evaluated.Results
Out of 537 articles, seven studies (n = 710) with RCT design met the inclusion criteria. The average duration for measuring pain intensity was 7.37 days. Pooled effect size showed a statistically significant reduction in pain intensity in the honey intervention group compared to the control group (WMD: -0.90, 95% CI [-1.32, -0.48], p < 0.001, I 2: 92.5%; certainty of evidence: low). Also, the results demonstrated that honey significantly decreased the average time required for pain relief and analgesic consumption in the intervention group compared to the control group. One study was deemed low risk of bias, four studies were of intermediate quality and two studies were evaluated as high.Conclusion
While honey shows promise in reducing post-tonsillectomy pain, cautious use is advised due to the limited quality of evidence. More robust RCTs are needed to address biases and reinforce confidence in the findings.Research Insights
the results demonstrated that honey significantly decreased the average time required for pain relief and analgesic consumption in the intervention group compared to the control group.
- Effect
- Beneficial
- Effect size
- Small
This study investigates the effect of locally applied honey on pain intensity, analgesia consumption, pain relief and nighttime awakenings in children following tonsillectomy
- Effect
- Beneficial
- Effect size
- Small
Pooled effect size showed a statistically significant reduction in pain intensity in the honey intervention group compared to the control group (WMD: -0.90, 95% CI [-1.32, -0.48], p < 0.001, I²: 92.5%)
- Effect
- Beneficial
- Effect size
- Moderate
the results demonstrated that honey significantly decreased the average time required for pain relief and analgesic consumption in the intervention group compared to the control group.
- Effect
- Beneficial
- Effect size
- Small