Same-day admission thyroidectomy programme: quality assurance study.

OBJECTIVE

This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a same-day admission thyroidectomy programme.

DESIGN

Prospective patient surveys and a retrospective quality assurance study were conducted.

METHOD

Management of the initial 58 patients having a thyroidectomy at St. Joseph's Hospital, London, Ontario, after May 1992 when a same-day admission thyroidectomy programme was initiated, was evaluated. Early in the process, staff evaluation of the programme was also surveyed.

RESULTS

The average length of stay for these patients was reduced from 4.5 to 3.2 days. No operative delays, cancellations, readmissions, or increased complications resulted from the new protocol. Also, patient and staff acceptance of the new programme was high.

CONCLUSION

Our success with this programme has encouraged us to apply these concepts to more complex surgical patients.