This review suggests that nurses need to be more knowledgeable when it comes to the assessment of post-operative pain. The authors recommend the employment of a universal pre-operative assessment and discharge protocol, based on the patient’s perspective.

IT IS NOW recognised that the patient’s perspective is important in the planning and evaluation of health care. In no other area of health service delivery is this more appropriate than the field of day surgery. Less than three hours after having a general anaesthetic for what could still be considered a significant surgical procedure, the patient is discharged, and the responsibility for care is transferred to him or her and his or her family. For many patients, the day surgery experience runs a smooth course. Yet for others, not feeling well enough to return home on the same day, episodes of severe pain once discharged, lack of primary care support, and inadequate and informal social support at home appear to be major problems.