New research conducted by RCSI and presented at an Education and Research Day in conjunction with Beaumont and Connolly Hospitals has identified seven barriers to the provision of day surgery in Ireland - the main barrier being the lack of dedicated day surgery theatres.

Day surgery is the practice of admitting patients into hospitals on the day of surgery for a planned, non-emergency surgical procedure and discharging patients within hours of that surgery. The research found that over 60% of hospitals do not have dedicated day surgery units. The lack of dedicated day surgery theatres resulted in day cases often being operated on in general theatres and in many cases being pushed back or cancelled due to emergencies.

Additional barriers identified include the need for more clinical governance, longer opening hours in order to allow longer recovery time for patients, lack of equipment and geographical factors because for many patients they live too far from day surgery units and therefore were admitted as in-patients. The age profile of patients and their knowledge of day surgery was also a factor along with problems of overflow from Accident and Emergency departments and the lack of community back up and support.

Professor Seamus Cowman, Principal Investigator and Head of the School of Nursing, RCSI, said: "Day surgery is viewed as the optimal environment for many surgical procedures, yet in Ireland, the rates are still low compared to international figures. The reconfiguration of the Irish healthcare system has seen the development of day services in acute hospitals and an increasing emphasis has been placed on day case and out-patients procedures. However additional barriers need to be overcome in order to further develop this service in Ireland."

This research was presented at a Research Opportunities Day organised by Beaumont and Connolly Hospitals and RCSI.