Impact of honey on post-tonsillectomy pain in children (BEE PAIN FREE Trial): a multicentre, double-blind, randomised controlled trial*

Tonsillectomy, a common childhood surgery, is associated with difficult postoperative recovery. Previous reviews provided low-grade evidence that honey may improve recovery. The BEE PAIN FREE study investigated whether honey alongside multimodal analgesia improved the recovery trajectory in children following tonsillectomy.

Citation:
Sommerfield D, Sommerfield A, Evans D, Hauser N, ……. von Ungern-Sternberg BS. Impact of honey on post-tonsillectomy pain in children (BEE PAIN FREE Trial): a multicentre, double-blind, randomised controlled trial*. Anaesthesia. 2025.

Keywords:
Anaesthesia; outcome; paediatric; pain; tonsillectomy.

Abstract:
Tonsillectomy, a common childhood surgery, is associated with difficult postoperative recovery. Previous reviews provided low-grade evidence that honey may improve recovery. The BEE PAIN FREE study investigated whether honey alongside multimodal analgesia improved the recovery trajectory in children following tonsillectomy.