A report of UK experience in 917 cases of day care foot surgery using a validated outcome tool.

BACKGROUND

Day case surgery is an increasingly important treatment modality and one that foot surgery is particularly well suited to.

OBJECTIVES

This article presents an in depth evaluation of the outcomes of day case foot surgery undertaken in the primary care setting.

METHOD

917 consecutive day surgery cases were evaluated with the Foot Health Status Questionnaire (FHSQ), patient satisfaction questionnaires and complication audits.

RESULTS

917 separate day care admissions were audited (696 females and 221 males). The average age at time of surgery was 50 years (range 14-100, S.D. 11). Post-operative follow up was usually complete by 26 weeks (range 21-218 weeks, S.D. 145). A total of 2772 individual procedures with patients receiving between one and five procedures per admission. The majority of patients (81%, N=743) opted for local anaesthesia. The FHSQ scores for foot pain, foot function, foot health, shoe fitting, general health, physical activity, social capacity and vigour improved. Patient satisfaction results were favourable and complication rates were within acceptable limits.

CONCLUSIONS

Podiatric surgery is well placed to meet both the demands of government and patients in delivering a high quality, safe and efficient treatment for patients requesting elective surgical intervention for foot deformity.