Search
We've found 10159 results
Most patients undergoing elective surgery should attend a preoperative preparation clinic.5,6 Healthy patients having minor day case surgery can in certain circumstances have telephone or electronic based assessments. If this supplies sufficient information it may negate the need to attend a face to face clinic. If this approach is used it is important that staff skilled in...
Following procedures performed under general or regional anaesthesia, a responsible adult should escort the patient home and provide support for the first 24 hours after surgery.9 A carer at home may not be essential if there has been good recovery after brief or non-invasive procedures and where any postoperative haemorrhage is likely to be obvious and controllable with simple pressure.47,48
Transport home should be by private car or taxi; public transport is not normally appropriate.
Where the patient’s general practitioner (GP) may need to provide postoperative care within a short time of discharge, arrangements for this should have been made with the GP in advance of the patient’s admission.
The patient’s GP should be informed of the patient’s procedure as soon as practical, and provided with a written discharge summary, which will usually be completed by the surgeon.
All patients should receive a copy of their discharge summary in case emergency treatment is needed overnight.
For commissioning purposes, suggested indicators of quality of a DSU include: 10
- day surgery existing as a separate and ‘ring-fenced’ administrative care pathway
- a senior manager directly responsible for day surgery
- preoperative assessment undertaken by staff familiar with the day surgery pathway
- provision of timely written information
- appropriate staffing levels
- nurse-led discharge
- provision for appropriate postoperative support including follow-up and...
A number of urgent surgical operations (for example, abscess drainage, superficial lacerations or hand trauma) can be managed on a day case basis,49 with semi-elective admission to day surgery facilities on the day of operation and discharge later the same day.50 In contrast, the accommodation of emergency inpatients within the ward environment of day surgery facilities, without alteration...
Funding for pathway redesign and facilities has been provided by central government and local commissioners. Cost analysis should take into account all finances, including capital and maintenance costs, staffing and training costs for both the theatre and the ward, as well as costs related to the procedure itself.
When selecting options for anaesthetic techniques within the day surgery unit, consideration should be given not only to the cost of delivering that anaesthetic but to the wider patient outcome costs. High quality anaesthetic techniques and consumables, including drugs, maybe economically viable even if apparently more expensive.53
