ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: To ensure patient satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals implemented changes to elective surgeries while upholding safety and quality of care. This includes a growing trend toward same-day discharge (SDD) following apical pelvic organ prolapse (POP) repair surgery, which previously involved overnight hospitalization for some institutions. We assessed patient perspectives following SDD after transvaginal and minimally invasive apical POP repair during the pandemic. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of women who underwent apical POP surgery. Preoperatively, we assessed preference for SDD. A postoperative survey evaluated perceived safety, pain control and satisfaction using the "Core questionnaire for the assessment of Patient Satisfaction for general Day-care" and the "Patient Global Impression of Improvement." Postoperative complications were identified. RESULTS: Of 36 recruited patients, 83.3% preferred SDD preoperatively. When rating the influence of COVID-19 on their preference (1-10, 10=high), 13 reported level 10 and 11 reported level 1 (mean 5.9±4.0). A total of 34 postoperative surveys were collected, 29 of which were SDD (85.3%); 89.7% of patients reported feeling safer with SDD, and 40% (2/5) of admitted patients would have preferred SDD. Pain control satisfaction for SDD was assessed on a Likert scale (1-10, 10=very satisfied), with a mean of 9.1 (±1.8); 82.8% of SDD patients rated their overall experience as "very satisfied" and consistently rated individual components highly. CONCLUSIONS: During the pandemic, our patient population preferred SDD after an apical POP repair with a high success and satisfaction rate with minimal complications. In the absence of a pandemic, SDD should be considered to increase patient satisfaction.