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Audit and quality improvement should be integrated into wider areas of anaesthetic and surgical practice.

Audit and quality improvement should be integrated into wider areas of anaesthetic and surgical practice.

Audit in clinical practice and patient care in day surgery should involve all staff. A system should exist for the regular feedback of audit information to staff, to reinforce good practice and help to effect change and hence drive quality improvement. This feedback may take the form of regular meetings or updates, or a local newsletter.

Where possible, it is preferable for one-stop arrangements to be implemented so that patients can attend preoperative assessment during the same hospital visit as their surgical outpatient assessment. Ideally, the frequency of high-risk clinics should allow for one-stop patient visits when appropriate.

Research into best practice day surgery should be encouraged.

Patients will be provided with information specific to their condition/indication for surgery in addition to information about day surgery. Clear and concise information given to patients at the right time and in the correct format is essential to facilitate good day surgery practice.⁹ Much of this information may be given to patients at preoperative assessment. Verbal information should always...

Diagrammatic representation of the patient journey through day surgery may help explain the process.

Information should be arranged in such a way that it is comprehensive and comprehensible, and should be available in a format suitable for the visually impaired and those with other difficulties understanding and considering the information. It may be necessary to provide information leaflets in a number of different languages to accommodate the needs of the local population.²⁴

Whatever form the information takes, it should be sufficient to allow informed consent and patients should have an opportunity to ask for further information or clarification.^57,58

At a minimum, information provided to patients should include:

• the date and time of admission to the unit
• location of the unit, travel and parking instructions including information regarding parking costs
• details of the surgery to be undertaken, and any relevant preoperative preparations required of the patient
• information on the anaesthetic to be provided, including clear instruction for preoperative fasting...