Teaching and learning in day surgery units: a UK survey

Recent increases in day case surgery offer new opportunities for medical student learning, whilst the reduction in surgical beds and length of hospital stays has reduced opportunities in traditional inpatient settings. To establish the extent and nature of undergraduate medical education in day surgery units in the UK, the authors undertook a postal questionnaire survey. Of the 227 units which replied, 45% are used for teaching. In 83% of these, students attend only single operating lists, and only 7% of units take students for more than 1 day per week. This suggests that students have very limited teaching in day surgery units. Diagnosis, common surgical procedures and rehabilitation are increasingly carried out in outpatient, day case and community settings. These may be missed by students unless educational programmes are responsive to trends in health care delivery. Day surgery units could play an increased role in medical education.