Rising to the challenges of achieving day surgery targets.

Area of Science:

• Surgical Care
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Day surgery offers high-quality, efficient care with patient benefits like rapid recovery and effective pain management.
• Healthcare systems gain from streamlined services and reduced costs associated with day surgery.
• Current day surgery practices are inconsistent, limiting patient access to this beneficial care model.

Purpose of the Study:

• To advocate for day surgery as the default option for suitable procedures.
• To highlight the importance of appropriate patient preparation and selection criteria.
• To emphasize the role of multidisciplinary teams and anaesthetists in optimizing day surgery outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Review of current day surgery practices and their variations.
• Analysis of patient selection criteria and preparation protocols.
• Discussion of the organizational and leadership roles in enhancing day surgery delivery.

Main Results:

• Day surgery provides significant clinical and financial advantages.
• Standardized, consultant-led pre-assessment using modern criteria is crucial for patient selection.
• Dedicated multidisciplinary teams, with anaesthetist leadership, are key to efficient day surgery.

Conclusions:

• Shifting the emphasis to make day surgery the default option will improve patient access and care quality.
• Optimizing patient preparation and selection minimizes barriers to day surgery.
• Enhanced leadership and teamwork in day surgery settings yield substantial clinical and economic benefits.