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An audit of paediatric day care surgery in a district general hospital
1Department of Anaesthesia, Leicester Royal Infirmary, UK.
Insights
Most pediatric day surgery patients tolerated the procedure well, though some experienced distress from gowns. Postoperative pain was more common than nausea, with parents generally satisfied with care but desiring more involvement during recovery.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Patient Experience
- Healthcare Quality
Background:
- Day surgery is increasingly common in pediatrics.
- Understanding patient and parent perspectives is crucial for improving care quality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the experience of children undergoing day surgery.
- To assess parental satisfaction with pediatric day surgery care.
- To identify areas for improvement in the day surgery process.
Main Methods:
- Questionnaires administered to 142 pediatric day surgery patients and involved nursing staff.
- Data collected on patient distress, postoperative symptoms, and home recovery.
- Parental satisfaction assessed, including preferences for involvement during anesthesia induction and recovery.
Main Results:
- Most children were not upset by day surgery, but 25% experienced distress from theatre gowns.
- Postoperative pain was a greater concern than nausea or vomiting.
- Minor issues were reported during home recovery.
- 93% of responding parents were satisfied with overall care.
- Parents valued presence during anesthesia induction but desired presence during recovery.
- Nonclinical factors significantly impacted parental assessment of care quality.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric day surgery is generally well-tolerated, with pain management and gown-related distress as key areas for attention.
- Parental presence during anesthesia induction is highly valued.
- Enhancing parental involvement in the recovery phase and addressing nonclinical aspects of care can improve overall satisfaction.
Abstract:
At a 620 bed District General Hospital, questionnaires were issued to the patients of 142 consecutive paediatric day surgery cases and the nurses involved in the care of these children. Most of the children were not upset by day case surgery, although nearly a quarter were distressed by changing into a theatre gown. Postoperatively, pain was more of a problem than nausea and vomiting. Relatively minor problems occurred at home. The majority of the 93 parents who replied were happy with the overall care of their child. They valued being present for induction of anaesthesia and would have liked to be present in recovery when their child was awake, although the nurses felt this would not have been helpful. Nonclinical matters also influenced their assessment of the quality of care.
