Day case surgery

Abstract

This chapter studies day case surgery. The definition of day case surgery is the planned day admission of a patient to hospital for a surgical procedure, after which there is subsequent successful and safe discharge back home on the same day. The main rationale behind day surgery is to get patients discharged home following their operations in a safe and timely manner instead of spending prolonged periods within the hospital as an inpatient. This has significant implications, including reducing hospital stay, hospital-acquired infection, and healthcare-related costs while also improving patient experience and service efficiency. Surgical, anaesthetic, and patient factors should be considered for successful day case surgery. The chapter then traces the history of day case surgery, before detailing the common day surgery procedures.