Outcome of day-case surgery is greatly affected by the eventual presence of postoperative pain and emesis. The most reasonable approach is pain prophylaxis in every patient, and prophylaxis of postoperative nausea and vomiting in patients at risk. This article reviews, in the light of recently published data, the efficacy of different prophylactic actions related to the topic. Prevention of pain is widely referred to as antinociceptive prophylaxis, which provides a decrease in postoperative pain and not to pre-emptive analgesia, although pre-emptive analgesia is discussed.