Identify where you stand with ERAS® best practice by taking our Readiness Assessment

Posted on November 12, 2024November 20, 2024 by Alexa l

Our new ERAS® Readiness Assessment is a quick (and free) way for perioperative teams to identify where they stand with ERAS® best practices.

At Encare, we are proud to collaborate closely with the international ERAS® Society not only in developing and supporting ERAS® Implementation Programs but also in advancing our audit solution, EIAS (the ERAS® Interactive Audit System). Together, we work to ensure that ERAS® Protocols are applied in a comprehensive and sustainable way, supporting healthcare providers with tools to track compliance, optimize patient outcomes, and uphold ERAS® standards. We would be happy to assist you in implementing ERAS® with the rigor and insight that comes from this partnership.

Take our Readiness Assessment here.

→ What’s the next step after learning about where you stand with ERAS® compliance?

Explore our new service, ERAS® Flash Audit, a focused project to help assess your existing standard of care. Our Flash Audit offers a clear view of where improvements can be made to align with ERAS® protocols, showcasing the potential benefits of a full ERAS® implementation.

Learn more here.

Introducing ERAS® Flash Audit: A Quick and Effective Assessment

Posted on November 12, 2024 by Alexa l

Quickly assess compliance with the core ERAS® elements and obtain a clear understanding of how well you are currently implementing ERAS® best practices with our new ERAS® Flash Audit offering.

Beyond compliance, the ERAS® Flash Audit will also help assess your existing standard of care, offering a clear view of where improvements can be made to align with ERAS® protocols, showcasing the potential benefits of a full ERAS® implementation. Learn more about next steps by exploring our ERAS® Flash Audit page here.

Key Features:

Targeted Assessment: Encare offers a one-month audit, guided by an ERAS® Society coach, involving 30-50 patient records and a limited number of users. This approach allows departments to quickly gauge their compliance with ERAS® fundamentals and best practice standards.
Assessment of Current Status: The ERAS® Flash Audit offers a first evaluation of how well the department is adhering to best practice evidence, providing valuable insights into areas that need enhancement.
Data-Driven Insights: The ERAS® Flash Audit generates a detailed report, showcasing the current compliance rate and providing a summary of potential benefits. This data can be used to make informed decisions about the next steps in implementing a full ERAS® program.
Strategic Decision-Making: Based on the ERAS® Flash Audit results, departments can decide whether to proceed with a full ERAS® implementation. If they choose to move forward, the initial audit data will support the transition. If not, the protocol can be disabled, and data will be securely handled.
Cost-Effective Offering: Encare offers this one-month project at a low cost, with zero subscription fees for EIAS during the audit period. This ensures that healthcare providers can access critical insights without significant financial commitment.
Improved Patient Outcomes: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery® consistently reduces surgical complications which leads to fewer readmissions and shorter hospital stays. This improves patient outcomes, reduces costs and increases healthcare efficiency.

Want a quick (and free) way to identify where you stand with ERAS® best practice before proceeding with our ERAS® Flash Audit? Take our Readiness Assessment here.

The Role of ERAS® in Addressing Brazil’s Healthcare Challenges: A Path Forward

Posted on October 28, 2024 by Alexa l

As Brazil works to strengthen its healthcare system and recover from the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, discussions surrounding the sustainability and accessibility of care have taken center stage. With an increasing focus on public healthcare reform, particularly within the Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS), new strategies are needed to improve efficiency and patient outcomes, especially in surgical care. One such strategy is the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS®) protocol, a globally recognized, evidence-based approach to optimizing perioperative care.⁽¹⁾

Challenges in Brazil’s Healthcare System

Brazil’s healthcare system is grappling with several key issues:

• Strain on public hospitals: With the public healthcare sector facing high demand and limited resources, hospitals are under significant pressure. Shortages of healthcare professionals, regional disparities in care access, and long wait times for surgeries are persistent challenges.⁽²⁾

• Surgical care access: There is a notable gap in surgical care quality and availability, particularly in underserved areas. This is compounded by the fact that many hospitals lack the resources to implement advanced perioperative care systems.^(2,3)

• Financial sustainability: While healthcare spending is at an all-time high, representing 10.7% of GDP, the need for cost-efficient care models is greater than ever, with budget constraints affecting the long-term sustainability of Brazil’s public health programs.^(4,5)

How ERAS® Can Help

The Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS®) protocol addresses many of the challenges Brazil faces in its surgical care system by focusing on improving both clinical outcomes and operational efficiency. With its proven ability to reduce complications, lower hospital length of stay, and improve patient recovery, ERAS® offers a practical, scalable solution for Brazilian hospitals, both in the public and private sectors.^(6,7)

1. Reducing Surgical Complications and Hospital Stays: Studies have shown that hospitals implementing ERAS® protocols see a reduction in postoperative complications and faster patient recovery. This not only improves the quality of care but also frees up hospital beds and resources for additional patients.^(7,8)

2. Supporting Financial Sustainability: By minimizing complications and reducing the length of hospital stays, ERAS® helps reduce healthcare costs. For hospitals operating under tight budgets—especially within the SUS—this can lead to substantial savings.⁽⁸⁾

3. Improving Care Accessibility: Implementing ERAS® protocols can also enhance the ability of hospitals to deliver consistent, high-quality surgical care across regions. This could help mitigate some of the disparities in healthcare access that currently exist between urban and rural areas.

Encare’s Role in Optimizing ERAS® Implementation in Brazil

At Encare, we are committed to supporting Brazilian hospitals in maximizing the benefits of ERAS®. Our ERAS® Interactive Audit System (EIAS)—the only tool endorsed by the ERAS® Society for tracking compliance—provides hospitals with a structured, data-driven approach to monitor outcomes and improve protocol adherence.

By implementing ERAS® with the support of Encare’s EIAS platform, Brazilian hospitals can:

• Enhance patient outcomes while reducing costs: Achieve fewer surgical complications, shorter recovery times, and substantial cost savings through better compliance with ERAS® protocols, which have been demonstrated to improve overall care quality.

• Drive continuous improvement in perioperative care: Utilize real-time insights from EIAS to identify areas for optimization and ensure hospital teams can make targeted improvements to enhance the perioperative care process.

• Join the global ERAS® community: Collaborate with world-leading healthcare institutions, participate in international research projects, and benchmark performance against global standards to remain at the forefront of surgical care advancements.

A Call to Action for Brazilian Healthcare

The future of Brazil’s healthcare system will depend on how efficiently it can address its key challenges—improving access to care, reducing costs, and ensuring that patient outcomes are at the forefront of every decision.

By embracing ERAS® and integrating data-driven solutions like EIAS, Brazilian hospitals can be leaders in transforming perioperative care.

To learn more about how Encare can support your institution’s ERAS® journey, get in touch with our team here.

References:

1. OECD Reviews of Health Systems: Brazil 2021

OECD iLibrary: Brazil Healthcare Overview

2. Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)

PAHO: Challenges in Accessing Surgical Care

3. Observatório de Análise Política em Saúde (OAPS)

OAPS: Brazil’s Public Health Debate

4. OECD Health Policy Overview: Brazil 2023

OECD Health Overview: Brazil

5. OECD Health Policy: Health at a Glance 2021

OECD Health at a Glance 2021

6. Ljungqvist O, Scott M, Fearon KC. Enhanced recovery after surgery: a review. JAMA Surgery

Jamanetwork

7. Thiele RH, Rea KM, Turrentine FE, et al. Standardization of care: Impact of an enhanced recovery protocol on length of stay, complications, and direct costs after colorectal surgery. Journal of the American College of Surgeons

Link to the article on ERAS® benefits

8. Gustafsson UO, Scott MJ, Schwenk W, et al. Guidelines for perioperative care in elective colonic surgery: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS®) Society recommendations

World Journal of Surgery

Author: Alexa l