Outpatient care has benefits such as lower costs and less disruption to daily life, but may not be effective for certain treatments like addiction. Patients may need a caregiver and driver, and some procedures are only suitable for inpatient care.
Some benefits of the surgery are lower costs and less disruption to daily life, as patients can continue work or school sooner. Outpatient treatment is generally less expensive than inpatient care because the patient does not need a bed or much of the nurse’s time and hospital resources. Some disadvantages of outpatient care are its ineffectiveness for certain treatments and the need for a driver and caregiver. Drug addicts, for example, may not be able to recover on their own without constant supervision.
An advantage of outpatient care is that the person can usually continue with school or work. He or she is not confined to a hospital bed and hospital equipment. Instead, the doctor performing the outpatient procedures might even encourage the patient to resume normal life.
Outpatient care is typically cheaper than inpatient care because the patient does not spend as much time at the treatment facility. Furthermore, procedures suitable for outpatient care are simpler than those that can only be performed in an inpatient setting. For example, repairing a deviated septum is significantly easier and less risky than surgery on a major organ. The former is usually done on an outpatient basis unless the patient has complications or certain risk factors, while the patient in the latter situation needs to be monitored carefully for problems that can be fatal within hours.
There is a difference between choosing outpatient treatment for a surgery like septoplasty and treating drug or alcohol addiction. Minor surgery generally leaves most people recovering on their own and only needing to stop by for a checkup to make sure they’re healing properly. Treating addiction on an outpatient basis can be difficult, as the person is left to recover on their own and sometimes resorts to the old ways. People who are treated for addiction on an outpatient basis are often unable to do so on their own and may even need a dangerous detox.
Even if a person chooses outpatient care, they will likely need someone to drive them home. Also, that person or a nurse or caregiver may need to stay overnight to help the outpatient with daily activities that she can no longer do. For example, sometimes outpatients are prescribed pain relievers which can lead to poor decisions or an inability to walk properly. If your outpatient has been under anesthesia in a hospital, you may feel groggy and unable to resume simple tasks such as walking soon after waking up.
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