Authors' objectives: The Ministry of health has used as a starting point the fact that France is behind other parts of the world in terms of rates of day surgery. With this in mind, it has commissioned HAS to produce reference materials to guide the work that needs to be done in hospitals and with health professionals in order to increase the proportion of all operations that are done as day cases. In parallel, ANAP included day surgery as part of its programme for 2010, which was published in December 2009. In addition, the development of day surgery is one of the ten top-priority areas of risk management for regional health agencies (RHAs) for the years 2010-2012. The HAS-ANAP day surgery partnership is a high-priority interdisciplinary project for both institutions. This collaboration will bring together and make the most of these institutions' respective skills and will enable close support for healthcare professionals, healthcare managers and regulators (RHAs) as day surgery is developed in France. This overview is the first deliverable of the HASANAP joint programme.

Authors' recommendations: Day surgery is surgery without overnight admission for selected patients. It is clearly defined by a regulatory framework in France: practising day surgery is subject to requirements relating to the definition of a hospital as well as the concept of a minimal care environment. The surgical procedure used in day surgery is the same as that used in inpatient admission, but it is carried out under specific organisational circumstances that mean that the patient can be discharged on the same day. Day surgery rates in France did increase over the period 2000-2011, but it remains behind other developed countries, and has not made the best of the potential development that has been identified in various studies. Although there is no single architectural model for day surgery, common to all facilities is a patient centred organisation of care, in which analysis of the clinical pathway is essential as a quality management tool. In order to support clinical pathways, there are consensus-based international guidelines governing good professional practice and operational procedures for day surgery units. These guidelines are centred on the key elements: patient selection, a rigorous risk/benefit analysis, coordination between the various parties involved and continuity of care.

Project Status: Completed

Year Published: 2012

URL for published report: http://www.has-sante.fr/portail/upload/docs/application/pdf/2012-04/rapport_-_socle_de_connaissances.pdf

English language abstract: An English language summary is available

Publication Type: Not Assigned

Country: France

Organisation Name: Haute Autorité de Santé

Contact Address: 2 avenue du Stade de France, 93218 Saint-Denis La Plaine Cedex, France. Tel: +33 01 55 93 71 88; Fax: +33 01 55 93 74 35;

Contact Name: has.seap.secretariat@has-sante.fr

Contact Email: has.seap.secretariat@has-sante.fr