Twelve years' local experience in ambulatory anaesthesia

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Patient Outcomes
• Healthcare Services Research

Background:

• Ambulatory anesthesia enables same-day discharge, improving healthcare efficiency.
• Assessing patient experience and adverse events is crucial for service improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the incidence of adverse events following ambulatory anesthesia.
• To evaluate patient satisfaction with ambulatory anesthesia services.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study utilizing questionnaire surveys.
• Analysis of data from 8231 patients at a tertiary referral center in Hong Kong.
• Data collected on postoperative nausea and vomiting, pain, mobility, and patient satisfaction.

Main Results:

• Low incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (3.3%).
• Significant proportion experienced pain (60.2%), with 46% requiring analgesics.
• High rates of recovery: 80% resumed activities within 5 hours, 97.5% resumed normal diet by the next morning.
• Over 99% rated the service as good or excellent.

Conclusions:

• Ambulatory anesthesia is associated with manageable adverse events.
• Patients report high satisfaction and rapid recovery of normal diet and activities.
• The study highlights the effectiveness and patient acceptance of ambulatory anesthesia services.