Medical and paramedical services delivered to patients who are formally admitted for diagnosis, treatment, or other types of health care with the intention of discharging the patient the same day.
World Health Organization. European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. Glossary. 2009.
A patient admitted electively during the course of a day with the intention of receiving care who does not require the use of a hospital bed overnight and who returns home as scheduled. If this original intention is not fulfilled and the patient stays overnight, such a patient should be counted as an ordinary admission.