Day Care Surgery for Children: A Controlled Study of Medical Complications and Parental Attitudes

A population of 350 children requiring procedures potentially suitable for day care surgery was studied. Preoperatively, 18 of these patients were excluded from day care. The remaining 332 patients were assigned alternately to hospital and home care groups. There were 14 postoperative exclusions. Of the remaining 318 patients, it was possible to obtain 116 control-experimental pairs of children, each pair being matched for operation, sex, age, and occupational class. Comparisons between the two matched samples revealed that complications were at a miniman in both groups, which demonstrated the safety of day care. Studies of parental choice and attitudes towards conventional hospitalization and home care revealed that these were largely related to the type of care experienced by the children. Parents who experienced home care were favorably impressed and accepted it.