Elevate Your Perioperative Surgery Standards with ERAS® Protocols

A consistent, high standard of care across all service lines is critical to reduce variability and improve patient outcomes after surgery. Implementing Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS®) protocols is a proven strategy to achieve this goal, establishing a unified approach that guarantees every patient receives the same level of excellence, no matter where or what type of surgery they undergo.

Introducing ERAS® Essentials – Simplifying Excellence Across All Surgical Service Lines

Encare now introduces ERAS® Essentials, a groundbreaking protocol designed to extend the benefits of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery across a range of surgical service lines within the healthcare system. ERAS® Essentials is based on the comprehensive principles outlined in “Enhanced Recovery After Surgery: A Complete Guide to Optimizing Outcomes” ERAS® Essentials is designed to scale and covers both emergency and elective surgeries.

The Critical Need for a Unified Standard of Care

Traditionally, ERAS® guidelines have been developed for specific surgical procedures, such as pancreaticoduodenectomy or colorectal resections.¹ However, the need for a consistent, cross service line standard of care has led to the development of ERAS® Essentials, which provides evidence-based recommendations that can be applied across various surgical procedures.

Implementing ERAS® across service lines ensures that all patients, whether undergoing emergency or elective surgeries, benefit from the principles of enhanced recovery. ERAS® Essentials serves as a foundational step, providing a strong framework that can support broader applications of ERAS® principles across various surgical procedures as needed in the future. This holistic approach allows for broader and faster application of ERAS® protocols, improving outcomes for a wider range of patients.

Elevating Care Through Benchmarking and Global Collaboration

ERAS® Essentials enables benchmarking on a global, national and local level to drive continuous improvement towards best-in-class patient outcomes.

Being part of the ERAS® community connects your healthcare system with an international network of high-quality providers. This global collaboration fosters the exchange of best practices, insights, and innovations, ensuring that your institution remains at the forefront of surgical care excellence.

Key Benefits of Implementing ERAS® Essentials Across All Surgical Service lines

• Consistency in Care
  ERAS® Essentials is designed to help the care provider ensure that every patient, undergoing major surgery, receives the same high level of care. This uniformity is crucial in minimizing risks, reducing variability, and ensuring patient safety, as well as length of stay, regardless of the surgical team or procedure.⁴
• Improved Patient Outcomes
  By standardizing care across all service lines, the use of ERAS® Essentials helps the hospital team to reduce complications, shorten hospital stays, and accelerate recovery times. Research shows that patients managed under ERAS® Protocols consistently experience better outcomes across various surgical disciplines. ^2,3
• Cost Efficiency
  Standardizing care not only improves outcomes but also reduces costs. By being able to minimize complications and readmissions, the use of ERAS® Essentials drives significant cost savings, making it a financially sound choice for any healthcare provider. ^{4, 5}
• Service Line Agnostic
  ERAS® Essentials is designed to be adaptable across a range of surgical disciplines, ensuring that every surgical department benefits from the same rigorous, evidence-based care protocols, whether for emergency or elective surgeries. ^{6, 7}
• Enhancing WHO Surgical Safety Compliance
  ERAS® Essentials covers the key aspects of the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist and integrates elements that complement ERAS protocols, reinforcing critical safety practices. This combined approach aligns surgical teams with evidence-based strategies, promoting patient safety and optimized recovery.⁸

Implementing ERAS® Essentials – A Commitment to Consistency and Excellence

By adopting ERAS® Essentials across a range of surgical service lines, healthcare providers can ensure a high minimum level of standard care for every patient. This unified approach not only improves patient outcomes but also fosters a culture of excellence and continuous improvement throughout the entire healthcare system. As the first critical step, ERAS® Essentials lays the groundwork for the implementation of more specific ERAS® protocols tailored to individual surgical procedures.

Join the growing number of healthcare facilities worldwide that are implementing ERAS® Essentials to create a cohesive standard of care across all surgical service lines. This commitment to consistency will not only elevate patient outcomes but also enhance operational efficiency, reduce costs, and solidify your reputation as a leader in high-quality, patient-centered care.

For more information on implementing continuous auditing in your institution, please contact us at Encare.

References

1. Engelhardt KE, Greenberg RS, Golub RM. Perioperative Care of Neonates: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS®) Guidelines. JAMA Surg. 2023;158(2):108-118
2. Varadhan KK, Neal KR, Dejong CH, Fearon KC, Ljungqvist O, Lobo DN. The enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS®) pathway for patients undergoing major elective open colorectal surgery: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Clin Nutr. 2010;29(4):434-440.
3. Greco M, Capretti G, Beretta L, Gemma M, Pecorelli N, Braga M. Enhanced recovery program in colorectal surgery: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. *World J Surg*. 2014;38(6):1531-1541.
4. Ljungqvist O, Scott M, Fearon KC. Enhanced recovery after surgery: a review. JAMA Surg. 2017;152(3):292-298.
5. Lee L, Li C, Landry T, Latimer E, Carli F, Fried GM. A systematic review of economic evaluations of enhanced recovery pathways for colorectal surgery. Ann Surg. 2014;259(4):670-676.
6. Abola RE, Gan TJ. Enhanced recovery after surgery programs: controversies and answers. Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol. 2019;33(1):99-112.
7. Barber EL, Van Le L. Enhanced recovery pathways in gynecology and gynecologic oncology. Obstet Gynecol Surv. 2015;70(12):780-792.
8. Pilkington M, Nelson G, Cauley C, Holder K, Ljungqvist O, Molina G, Oodit R, Brindle M.E. Development of an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Surgical Safety Checklist Through a Modified Delphi Process. JAMA 2023:6(2):e2248460.