Acta anaesthesiologica Belgica
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Acta Anaesthesiol Belg · Jan 2000
ReviewDay surgery, including the preoperative assessment of the patient: a UK experience by a Belgian anaesthetist.
In some European countries like Belgium, a lot of hospitals are today dealing with two extremely real issues: adult day surgery and the preoperative anaesthesia consultation. Although efforts are made, there is often still a search for a clear-cut identity on these subjects. As in the rest of Europe, Belgian political, financial and medical driving forces are strongly favouring the shift of surgical procedures towards more day care practice. ⋯ The nursing director, as well as the medical director of the day unit will have to use their power in order to avoid abuse of ambulatory beds for other purposes. As the perioperative specialist, the anaesthetist is ideally suited for the pre-, per-, and postoperative management of the ambulatory patient. Moreover, concerning the preoperative assessment clinic, UK anaesthetists have organized a valuable and interesting alternative to the expensive and time/manpower consuming system used in the USA.