HISTORY

History

In August 1995, at the invitation of Victoria, representatives from Day Surgery Special Interest Groups and Associations in New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia met to discuss the possibility of forming a national day surgery nurses association.

The outcome of this meeting was a unanimous decision that this project should go ahead and to this end a planning committee was formed. The planning committee met again in November, February and June 1996.

Many long hours of discussion and negotiation by this very motivated group developed the official constitution of the Association. Click here to view the Constitution (99kb PDF). The planning committee also developed a set of objectives for the association which are still current to this day.

The founding objectives of the Australian Day Surgery Nurses
Association were to:

  • Promote the free exchange and dissemination of knowledge, expertise and developments in all areas of Day Surgery
  • Promote the concept and benefits of Day Surgery to the community
  • Co-operate with nursing, medical and allied health professionals in the pursuit of quality improvement
  • Form links with similar international organisations
  • Provide a climate which fosters good fellowship and networking between members
  • Encourage research into all areas of Day Surgery Nursing
  • Develop and recommend Day Surgery/Procedural Nursing Standards and provide expert advice to government and other relevant regulatory agencies

Since 1996, ADSNA has raised its profile in a number of ways:

  • ADSNA is a full member of the International Association for Ambulatory Surgery (IAAS) and occupies a seat on the IAAS General Assembly
  • Committee members represent ADSNA on the ACHS Clinical Indicators working party for Day Surgery
  • The President represents ADSNA on the Coalition of National Nursing and Midwifery Organisations (CoNNMO)
  • The association became incorporated in January 2006

Publications

  • The Australian Best Practice Guidelines for Day Surgery were first developed by ADSNA in 2002. The guidelines have been updated every 3-4 years since, with new publications in 2006, 2009 and most recently in 2013.
  • The following Best Practice Guidelines were published in 2013, launched at the Inaugural ADSNA conference and are now available for sale:
    • The Preadmission and Admission of Adult Patients
    • Patient Education
    • The Paediatric Patient
    • The Care of the Heavy Patient
    • Pain Management
    • Discharge
    • Staffing
    • Writing Competencies
  • The Day Surgery Australia Journal has been published since 1999 with a new and improved formats launched in 2002 and 2011. These have been published three times per year
  • The national website was launched in July 2002. A new and improved version of the website went live in 2012.

Membership

  • To become a member of ADSNA you must join your state organisation and you will automatically become a member of the national group. This entitles you to receive the Day Surgery Australia journal three times per year as well as enjoying the educational benefits your state provides.
  • Overseas nurses can become an International member and receive the journal
  • Organisations and non-nursing personnel can pay an annual Journal subscription and receive the journal three times per year

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