Jeffrey S. Falk, MD

Jeffrey S. Falk, MD, a surgical oncologist at the Ascension Saint John Hospital in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, commented on these studies of same-day mastectomy and home recovery programs: “The impetus behind these two significant quality-improvement studies was to allow patients to recover from surgery at home in a comfortable, familiar environment; to achieve cost-savings compared with next-day discharge after mastectomy; and to have more hospital availability for higher-acuity patients.”

“Both studies showed a significant increase in the number of patients discharged on the same day as mastectomy surgery compared with the prestudy baseline,” stated Dr. Falk. “Importantly, same-day discharge patient satisfaction was high. But, as researchers noted, same-day discharge is not for every patient.” ■

DISCLOSURE: Dr. Falk reported no conflicts of interest.