Day case hernia repair: a 3-year audit of patient recruitment

Abstract

Objective: To audit the recruitment process of patients undergoing day case hernia repair at our Day Surgery Centre and to identify potential areas for further development and expansion of the current clinical service. Design: A retrospective study. Subjects: A total of 1,268 patients underwent hernia repair at our unit from December 1995 to December 1998. Four hundred and eighty-nine patients were initially selected for day case hernia repair but 210 patients were subsequently excluded after pre-anaesthetic assessment. Main outcome measure: Reasons for exclusion from day surgery were classified into patient's preference, social, surgical and medical factors. Results: Growth of day case hernia repair has remained static in the past 3 years. Social grounds (61%) was the most common reason cited for unsuitability for day case hernia repair after pre-anaesthetic assessment. Conclusion: To achieve a full utilization of day case hernia repair service, we recommend modification of day case selection criteria, improvement of patients' acceptance of day surgery by education, promotion of clinicians' awareness of day surgery and a close monitoring of inpatient booking lists. With the escalating health costs in Hong Kong, the development of day case hernia repair represents the future.