Outpatient endocrine surgery practice patterns are highly variable among US endocrine surgery fellowship programs

Current studies and guidelines have reported that outpatient endocrine surgery is safe. However, none recommend specific postoperative protocols. An internet-based survey, developed using expert input, was distributed to current (2021–2022) endocrine surgery fellows in American Association of Endocrine Surgeons–accredited programs (n = 23). Programs with ≤2% same-day discharge rate were compared with those with ≥2% same-day discharge rate. The survey response rate was 91% (21/23), representing 20 United States institutions performing >15,000 cervical endocrine operations annually. The same-day discharge rate after total thyroidectomy was not normally distributed across institutions (P < .0001) but appeared bimodal, highlighting dogmatic differences in the pursuit of same-day discharge. Nine programs had ≤2% same-day discharge rate, whereas seven had ≥90% same-day discharge rate. Fourteen (70%) reported minimum observation periods before discharge, without consistency across procedures or institutions. Total thyroidectomy patients were observed longer. Fourteen (70%) reported no geographic restrictions for same-day discharge. In programs with >2% same-day discharge (n = 11), clinical and operative factors inconsistently influenced same-day discharge after thyroidectomy. Living alone precluded same-day discharge in 3 programs. Lateral neck dissection and chronic anticoagulation each greatly reduced same-day discharge in one program and precluded same-day discharge in another. Central neck dissection, Graves’ disease, substernal goiter, continuous positive airway pressure use, difficult/bloody operation, and signal on nerve stimulation had no or minimal effect on same-day discharge. Postoperative medication recommendations varied among programs. Although anticoagulation/antiplatelet agents were similarly held preoperatively across programs, resumption varied. Narcotics were routinely prescribed in 35%. Same-day discharge is not uniform across endocrine surgery training programs and is likely primarily driven by surgeon preference. Factors influencing same-day discharge vary significantly among programs.