Which statement by the parents indicates they need additional teaching about repeated otitis media?

Which statement by the parents indicates they need additional teaching about repeated otitis media?

• A. If I quit smoking, my child may have a decreased chance of getting an ear infection.
• B. As my child gets older, he should have fewer ear infections, because his immune system will be more developed.
• C. My child will have fewer ear infections if he has his tonsils removed.
• D. My child may need a speech evaluation.

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is that preventing recurrent otitis media isn’t achieved by removing tonsils. Otitis media with effusion and recurrent acute otitis media are driven largely by how the Eustachian tube functions and by modifiable risk factors in the child’s environment, not by tonsil removal. The statement that removing tonsils will lead to fewer ear infections shows a misconception about how these infections arise. Tonsils are part of the oropharyngeal immune system, and removing them does not fix the middle-ear drainage problem or the factors that contribute to middle-ear infection. In contrast, addressing risk factors such as secondhand smoke exposure and recognizing that ear infections tend to lessen as children grow (maturation of the immune system and Eustachian tube function) are aligned with how the condition actually behaves. If there is concern about persistent hearing issues from fluid in the middle ear, a speech/hearing evaluation may be appropriate, and in some cases tubes or other treatments are considered. So, this option signals a teaching need because it rests on an incorrect assumption about the effectiveness of tonsil removal in preventing ear infections.

The main idea here is that preventing recurrent otitis media isn’t achieved by removing tonsils. Otitis media with effusion and recurrent acute otitis media are driven largely by how the Eustachian tube functions and by modifiable risk factors in the child’s environment, not by tonsil removal.

The statement that removing tonsils will lead to fewer ear infections shows a misconception about how these infections arise. Tonsils are part of the oropharyngeal immune system, and removing them does not fix the middle-ear drainage problem or the factors that contribute to middle-ear infection. In contrast, addressing risk factors such as secondhand smoke exposure and recognizing that ear infections tend to lessen as children grow (maturation of the immune system and Eustachian tube function) are aligned with how the condition actually behaves. If there is concern about persistent hearing issues from fluid in the middle ear, a speech/hearing evaluation may be appropriate, and in some cases tubes or other treatments are considered.

So, this option signals a teaching need because it rests on an incorrect assumption about the effectiveness of tonsil removal in preventing ear infections.