SAGES 2026 Annual Meeting Emerging Technology Session

Same Day Discharge After Colorectal Surgery: Long Term Patient Perspectives on Safety and Feasibility

Nathan Aminpour MD1, Akasha B. Vega BS2 , Trevor Marshall BS2, Niharika Kareddy MD1, and Elisabeth C. McLemore MD FACS, FASCRS1,2

Background

•Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) and minimally invasive techniques have reduced length of stay after colorectal surgery

•Same-day discharge (SDD) after colectomy has been shown to be safe and cost-effective

•Long-term patient-centeredoutcomes (comfort, satisfaction, preparedness) remain less well studied

•A structured SDD home recovery program with daily virtual follow-up was implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective

•Assess long-term patient comfort following same-day discharge

•Evaluate patient satisfaction with postoperative recovery at home

•Examine patient perceptions of communication and preparedness after discharge

Methods

•Retrospective telephone survey study

•Population: patients undergoing minimally invasive colorectal surgery with discharge ≤ 24 hours

•Setting: large integrated healthcare system during COVID-19

•Intervention: same-day discharge with daily telephone or video follow-up for one week

•Survey: 20 standardized questions assessing comfort, pain control, communication, and satisfaction

•Analysis: descriptive statistics only

Results

•53 patients enrolled; 43 met inclusion criteria

•19 patients completed the survey (44% response rate)

•Mean comfort with same-day discharge: 7.4 / 10

•Mean postoperative pain control at home: 8.3 / 10

•63% would choose same-day discharge again for a similar surgery

•78% would participate again and majority reported easy access to the care team

•High satisfaction with postoperative support

Limitations

•Small sample size with modest response rate

•Potential selection bias due to nonresponse

•Retrospective design with possible recall bias

•Single institution and single surgeon limits generalizability

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Conclusions

•Same-day discharge after minimally invasive colorectal surgery is well accepted by patients

•Patients report high comfort, effective pain control, and strong satisfaction with recovery at home

•Clear communication, preoperative education, and structured remote follow-up are critical to success

•Findings support the feasibility of SDD pathways when paired with robust postoperative support

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Same Day Discharge After Colorectal Surgery: Long Term Patient Perspectives on Safety and Feasibility