Postoperative nausea and vomiting after discharge from outpatient surgery centers

We examined patients' experiences with nausea and vomiting after they were discharged from outpatient surgical centers. Data were collected on 211 surgical outpatients at 24-48 h after discharge via a telephone interview conducted by outpatient surgery nurses, and at 5 days after discharge via a patient-completed questionnaire. Telephone interviews were conducted with 193 patients. Questionnaires were completed by 154 patients. Over 35% of patients experienced postdischarge nausea and vomiting. Most had not experienced nausea and vomiting in the recovery room. The severity of nausea for these patients averaged 5 on a 10-point scale (10 indicating very severe nausea). During the 5 days after discharge, these patients reported experiencing nausea for an average of 1.7 days and vomiting for 0.7 days. Patients who experienced postdischarge nausea and vomiting were not able to resume their normal daily activities as quickly as those who did not. Patients managed postdischarge nausea and vomiting with little contact or intervention from health professionals and with minimal product purchases. The results indicate that postdischarge nausea and vomiting is common after outpatient surgery, and that it results in substantial distress and impairment for patients who experience it.