Global ambulatory surgery services center on efficiency optimization, while China, against the backdrop of the medical and health system reform, has realized the transformation from “ambulatory surgery” to “ambulatory care”, shifting from an efficiency-oriented approach to a dual orientation of system restructuring + patient needs. Adopting a combined method of literature review and policy text analysis, this paper systematically sorts out more than 30 core policy documents issued at the national level over the past 20 years and nearly 100 papers from core domestic journals, and constructs an integrated analytical framework of “policy-concept-model”. The study clarifies the policy evolution logic of Chinese-style ambulatory care featuring “instrumental application → systematic integration → strategic restructuring”, and defines the hierarchical relationship and boundaries between “ambulatory surgery” and “ambulatory care”. This review provides a referential practical guide for different types of medical institutions and highlights the core value of Chinese-style ambulatory care as a key initiative for the supply-side structural reform of medical services.
Objective To explore the research status, development trends, hot topics and frontiers in the field of day surgery in China, so as to provide references for researchers engaged in day surgery research in China. Methods Relevant studies on day surgery published from 2015 to 2025 were retrieved from China National Knowledge Infrastructure. CiteSpace software was adopted to conduct visual analysis of the literature and investigate the research trends. Results A total of 2913 articles were included. Since 2015, the overall annual publication output of domestic research on day surgery had shown an upward trend, peaking in 2023 with 346 articles. Medical institutions represented by West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University had published a large number of representative papers. Research attention in the field of day surgery mainly centered on enhanced recovery after surgery, nursing and patient satisfaction. In recent years, research hotspots of day surgery had focused on high-quality development, refined management, as well as alfentanil, a novel anesthetic. ConclusionsResearch in the field of day surgery in China is evolving from the initial stage of framework establishment and efficiency improvement toward in-depth advancement of refined workflows, scientific management and innovative technologies. In the future, scattered “best practices” can be elevated into universally instructive management theories and implementation frameworks, so as to facilitate the paradigm shift of the day surgery toward higher efficiency, greater intelligence and stronger patient-centeredness.