[Possibilities and results of shortened hospital treatment in pediatric surgery (author's transl)].

2582 surgical operations on children - principally abdominal hernias and phimoses - are reported. Inpatient treatment required a stay of 3.2 days, 430 children were treated as outpatients. The 11 pediatricians working in the afflux area unanimously judged the shortened stay in hospital positive. Of the parents interviewed, only 1.3% did not agree with the short hospitalization and 4.8% disagreed with the outpatient therapy. The well-known psychic disturbances of small children by admission to hospital confirmed. The economic importance of a stay which can be reduced by 10 days compared with the present average is pointed out.