Surgeons' attitudes to some aspects of day case surgery

The level of day case surgery is much lower in Northern Ireland than in England. A questionnaire was sent to all 55 consultant general surgeons in Northern Ireland to assess attitudes to this form of care and 51 (93%) replied. They were asked about the suitability of five procedures for day surgery. The three minor procedures of vasectomy, cystoscopy and gastroscopy were regarded as suitable or very suitable by 50 (98% of those who replied), 48 (94%) and 48 (94%) respectively. For the two intermediate procedures, 25 (49%) regarded the repair of inguinal hernia as suitable for day case surgery and 22 (43%) ligation of varicose veins. When asked about eight factors limiting their use of day surgery for inguinal hernia repair, the two most frequently rated as important were 'home conditions' and 'level of provision of domiciliary care' (both by 44 (86%) of the surgeons). Of factors which might promote their use of day surgery for this operation the two most important were 'more efficient use of health service resources' (71%) and the 'ability to convalesce at home' (67%). The problem of under-reporting of day cases and the importance of accurate statistics are considered.