Comparison of Patient Satisfaction on a Day-case Mastectomy Pathway for Breast Cancer Versus a Traditional Inpatient...

Area of Science:

• Surgical Oncology
• Patient Outcomes
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• National Health Service (NHS) Improvement issued guidance in 2011 for day-case mastectomy to reduce costs and inpatient stays.
• The guidance aimed to demonstrate an acceptable safety profile for outpatient mastectomy procedures.
• This study evaluates patient acceptance of the day-case mastectomy pathway.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess patient acceptability of the day-case mastectomy pathway.
• To compare complication rates between day-case and inpatient mastectomy models.
• To evaluate patient satisfaction levels in both surgical settings.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 26 day-case and 60 inpatient mastectomy patients.
• Primary outcome measured via telephone interviews using a validated, standardized questionnaire.
• Comparison of patient satisfaction scores and complication rates between the two groups.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant difference in overall patient satisfaction scores (6.76 day-case vs. 6.15 inpatient, p=0.37).
• No significant difference in perceived difficulty of the first night post-surgery (3.192 day-case vs. 2.80 inpatient, p=0.59).
• Comparable complication rates: 11.4% for day-case and 18.3% for inpatient mastectomy.

Conclusions:

• Day-case mastectomy is a feasible and safe option with no compromise on patient satisfaction.
• Patient-reported outcomes and complication rates are similar for both day-case and inpatient mastectomy.
• The findings support the wider adoption of day-case mastectomy to improve healthcare efficiency.