Outpatient pediatric surgery in a developing country.

A total of 5,522 outpatient surgical procedures were performed at the Children's Hospital in Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies, between 1968 and 1973. This included 2,662 general surgical procedures. There were no deaths or major complications. Parents participated actively in the preoperative and postoperative care. Outpatient surgery can be a safe, inexpensive, and effective means of health care delivery. It is of special value in developing countries with limited facilities for inpatient care.