A significant proportion of outpatients engage in potentially unsafe behaviors such as driving or traveling unaccompanied shortly after receiving general anesthesia, highlighting the need for clear postoperative protocols.
A total of 100 outpatients in the North-East of Scotland were given a simple anaesthetic of propanidid, nitrous oxide, oxygen, and halothane. The study was undertaken to assess what happened to patients when they left hospital after outpatient surgery. An outpatient questionnaire was used, and results show that 31% of patients journeyed home unaccompanied by a responsible person, 73% of car owners drove within 24 hours of the operation, and 9% drove themselves home. Postoperative symptoms of drowsiness (26%), headache (27%), nausea (22%), and dizziness (11%) were recorded, and a higher incidence of symptoms was recorded when surgery exceeded 15 minutes. A new form for outpatient operative procedures in Aberdeen has been devised with modern legal implications in mind.
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T. W. OGG (1972) studied this question.
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