'Best practice' in day surgery units: a review of the evidence

Abstract

We summarise the available evidence in three published systematic reviews examining: (i) pre-admission procedures; (ii) admission procedures and (iii) staffing policies in day surgery. Overall, there was a paucity of high level evidence. We found that: (i) a pre-admission intervention can improve patient and surgery outcomes, although the most effective type of intervention should be further investigated; (ii) distraction can reduce patient pre-operative anxiety and (iii) there is no high quality evidence relating skill mix, staffing levels and desired health outcomes in day surgery units. We make a range of recommendations based on lesser evidence, particularly concerned with admission procedures, and suggest areas of future research.