Short-stay surgery in orthopaedics.
This paper reviews the orthopaedic operations performed on patients from one consultant's waiting list using two short-stay wards. In a twelve-month period over 200 operations were performed with no major complication. The ultimate clinical result was not impaired by the short period of hospitalization. The advantages short-stay wards have over day wards in reducing orthopaedic waiting lists are discussed, as are the precautions necessary to make this a safe method of managing non-urgent orthopaedic problems.
D003258:Consumer Behavior; D004739:England; D006748:Hospital Departments / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D009985:Orthopedics; D013503:Surgery Department, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014850:Waiting Lists