Audit of the treatment of tonsillar and peritonsillar sepsis in an ear, nose and throat unit.

We became aware that a range of antibiotics were being used in our unit to treat patients suffering from tonsillitis or peritonsillar abscess (quinsy). There appeared to be no rationale to determine which antibiotics were used, and we felt that we were possibly using expensive antibiotics when cheaper equally effective ones were available. An audit project was therefore devised to establish the current practice in the ENT Unit at the City Hospital at Edinburgh. Following a six-month prospective pilot study, a protocol for the treatment of tonsillar and peritonsillar sepsis was drawn up and subsequent practice and outcome was then audited, thus completing the audit cycle. As a result substantial savings in the cost of prescribed antibiotics have been made without compromising patient care.