Short stay surgery. Present practices, future trends.

One certainty in our cost-constrained environment is that changes in care delivery often occur rapidly, with little time for preliminary study and planning. As we have seen from the past, changes in ambulatory surgical care--though sometimes stressful because of their precipitous nature--are often positive for both patients and providers. For surgical nurses to respond optimally, we must keep abreast of trends and remain open to new ideas.