Outpatient Surgery

Pediatric Outpatient Surgery (POPS) is the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children's same day surgery program designed for children and their families. Staff and community physicians perform elective surgeries, minimizing the time your child will spend away from home and family. POPS requires parents to bring their child to the hospital sometime during the week preceding the child's operation for a pre-surgical health assessment and teaching session. During this preoperative visit a nurse practitioner meets with the family, completes a history and physical, answers questions, provides anesthesia education, and reviews specific instructions so parents and children have a chance to voice preoperative questions and resolve problems before surgery. To help reduce stress and familiarize the child with what will happen the day of surgery, nurses also conduct a special "play therapy" teaching session during this preoperative visit.

The Outpatient Surgery Program encourages families to participate in their child's care before, on the day of and after surgery. On the day of surgery, parents may stay with their child throughout the hospital visit, except during the surgery itself. If your child is scheduled for a longer operation, a surgical nurse liaison will periodically interact with the doctors and nurses, inform you of your child's status and answer any questions you may have. Your child's surgeon will come to speak with you when the surgery is complete and you will be reunited with your child in the "wake-up"/recovery room.

The recovery and holding areas are staffed with pediatric nurses who will review home care instructions, including medications and follow-up appointments with you. There is always time to address questions and concerns and each family is treated with respect and concern.

Services Available:

Medical support for a variety of outpatient surgeries
A preoperative health check and teaching session scheduled during the 1-week period prior to the surgery
Reminder call from POPS staff the day before surgery
Parent involvement in their child's care throughout the entire hospital stay
Support by a surgical nurse liaison
Follow-up call from the peri-operative staff the day after surgery

Typical Diagnoses/Problems:

Any outpatient surgical problem, including selected general, ENT, urology, plastic, dental, ophthalmic, and orthopedic surgeries

Additional Resources:

The POPS program provides patients and their families with a variety of instructional materials including pre-surgery handouts and discharge instruction sheets, refers patients to videos such as Your Child's Anesthesia (produced by Nemours), and answers any and all parent and patient questions.