A: If you are new to the ERAS^® Protocols, we recommend that you and your perioperative team all attend the ERAS^® Implementation Program (EIP)  offered by Encare.

The EIP is a comprehensive training program which is suitable for your whole perioperative team, running over an 8 to 10-month period and where the use of the ERAS® Interactive Audit System (EIAS) is an integral part.

The ERAS^® Implementation Program is an ERAS^® specific training program designed and customized in such a way that you and your perioperative care team will find it easy to implement, reach and maintain at a high compliance level across the different ERAS^® Protocols that are available. The focus is on building well-functioning teams from various units involved in surgical care, introducing highly specific changes to current routines to conform to best practice and providing the tools to monitor and analyze the effects of those changes through the ERAS^® Interactive Audit System (EIAS).

The program follows a specific series of 4 scheduled workshops mixed with homework periods for projects to be carried out in the hospital over a period of 8-10 months. Everything is done with the support of Clinical Experts and ERAS® Coaches in the ERAS® Society. The program uses EIAS as a key vehicle to help monitor, control and change outdated clinical practice to that of evidence-based medicine

The EIAS is a web based, interactive, data entry and analysis software used to facilitate implementation of and monitor compliance to the ERAS® Protocols. The tool is a quality and decision support system, for use by the healthcare provider to improve its patient care work processes, and ensuring compliance to the ERAS® Protocols, once implemented, is upheld. The EIAS provides immediate feedback regarding any deviation from best practice. Further the EIAS may be used as a data collection tool for research purposes.

A key focus of the system is ease of use to ensure widespread dissemination. Today, hospitals throughout the world use this system to continuously audit their progress and help them maintain the improvements over time. See all ERAS® Qualified Centers.

Please contact us here for more information 

A: To use EIAS for analyzing data, the hospital staff first collect and store a wide array of relevant information during the patient’s perioperative journey, from pre-admission to discharge and follow-up.  The type of information collected is specified in the guidelines and is relevant due to its role in enhancing recovery after surgery.  For this reason, the data collected in the EIAS is generally organized around the perioperative process.

Unlike other similar solutions, EIAS collects both process and outcome data, allowing providers to not only measure results but also audit the processes that lead to those results. This dual focus enables early detection and correction of issues, leading to more effective interventions, better patient outcomes, and greater operational efficiency.

• Admission information. This is where relevant demographic information is collected as well as information on pre-existing conditions that may affect patient outcomes. Examples of these include admission date, year of birth, height, weight, BMI, nutritional status, alcohol usage, presence of heart disease, or pulmonary disease.
• Operation. This section covers the period immediately preceding the start of the operation, the operation itself, and information on anesthesia/fluids.  Examples of these include type of procedure, duration of procedures, surgical approach (such as laparoscopic or open), type of anesthesia used, administration of PONV prophylaxis, volumes of IV fluids.
• Recovery. This is where information on fluids, post-operative gut function, mobilization, post-operative pain, and nausea are documented.
• Discharge. Any complications during the primary hospital stay are documented here as well as discharge information.
• Follow-up. Complications that occur after discharge are documented in this section.

A:

Manual entry

Licensed hospital staff/users of the EIAS, are given access to the software as well as accompanying documentation and tutorials. In the data entry section of EIAS, users enter and review patient data. The user registers many variables, some general and some specific to an area of surgery. Most of the information required in EIAS can be found in existing patient records and would only need to be copied over to EIAS.

Automatic transfer 

EIAS provides a secure file import interface so that data  from different EHR systems can be transferred automatically and in bulk to EIAS. The data can also be transferred in part where the rest of the data is added manually. The level of automation can also vary depending on the capabilities of the source EHR systems and the hospital technical infrastructure. 

A: Once data is registered into EIAS, licensed hospital staff can access the Reports section to compare their compliance with the ERAS® Protocol and associated outcomes. EIAS is the only solution that offers official ERAS® compliance calculations, providing a unique advantage. By analyzing data efficiently and in real-time with EIAS, teams can ensure adherence to ERAS® standards and make informed decisions to improve patient care. Watch  this video  to see how EIAS enhances data analysis and compliance monitoring.

A: For a current listing of available ERAS® Protocols, please see here to explore our Protocols page and learn more. Currently, we have protocols available for:

• Bariatric
• Breast Reconstruction
• Cardiac
• Colorectal
• Gynecology
• Head & Neck
• Hip & Knee Arthroplasty
• Liver
• Pancreas
• Thoracic-Lung
• Urology/Cystectomies

More protocols are in the works and will be coming soon.

A: The ERAS® Implementation Program (EIP) is a structured process that engages the multi-disciplinary core team through a series of four scheduled seminars and workshops, complemented by project work within the hospital. This program is supported by Clinical Experts and ERAS® Coaches from the ERAS® Society. A mandatory part of the EIP is the use of the ERAS® Interactive Audit System (EIAS), which is integral to monitoring, controlling, and transitioning outdated clinical practices to evidence-based medicine. An EIAS subscription is essential to the program’s success.

A: The ERAS® Implementation Program (EIP) is led by leading clinical experts and ERAS® coaches representing the ERAS® Society. These experts have a focus on the relevant ERAS® Protocols and change management.

A: Implementing ERAS® Protocols proactively can lead to improved patient outcomes and significant cost savings. Encare’s ERAS® Interactive Audit System (EIAS) solution is designed to be user-friendly and straightforward, with minimal disruption to existing workflows.

A: Encare’s ERAS® Interactive Audit System (EIAS) is designed to deliver a significant return on investment by helping healthcare teams reduce complications and readmission rates, ultimately shortening hospital stays. Supported by numerous studies, EIAS enhances surgical outcomes by improving adherence to ERAS® protocols.  

While implementing ERAS® may initially seem time-consuming, EIAS streamlines the process, automating tasks, providing real-time feedback, and facilitating team communication, thus saving time in the long run and optimizing overall care quality. 

A: Encare’s latest generation of the ERAS® Interactive Audit System (EIAS) is designed to be flexible and customizable to meet the current and future needs of each hospital. EIAS has a comprehensive set of features that have been developed in collaboration with leading ERAS® experts and healthcare professionals. We welcome feedback and suggestions for new features and can work with hospitals to develop tailored solutions. Contact us here .

A: To ensure you have implemented ERAS® to its full potential in your hospital, you should be able to continuously measure your compliance to the various ERAS® Guidelines. Experience shows that hospitals may believe they have a robust ERAS® program in place, yet compliance can often be lower than expected.

Encare’s ERAS® Interactive Audit System (EIAS) will enhance the implementation process by providing real-time feedback and analytics to optimize outcomes. EIAS offers benefits such as automating tasks, facilitating communication between team members, and providing feedback to continually improve ERAS® implementation. EIAS benefits include data entry, analysis, reporting, and access to the ERAS® community.

Encare’s EIAS solution will provide real-time feedback and analytics to help hospitals monitor the compliance to the ERAS Guidelines and identify areas of non-compliance and continuously improve ERAS® implementation.

Furthermore, the ERAS® Implementation Program (EIP) is the perfect complement to the ERAS® Interactive Audit System, adding substantial value to setting up your ERAS® best practice, whether for the first time or when expanding your implementation. By providing training to your healthcare professionals through the EIP, we can help your organization to stop silo thinking and individual processes and instead work in multidisciplinary and multi-professional teams to compare and improve procedures.

For more details on comparing EIAS with hospital-developed ERAS® Implementation support tools, please visit the section – link to “why continuous audit…” 

A: It’s important to be certain of your compliance, rather than just assuming it’s high. The only way to achieve this is by continuously collecting and analyzing all necessary data for ERAS® Guideline compliance. In the initial phase of the ERAS® Implementation Program (EIP), hospitals input historical patient data into the ERAS® Interactive Audit System (EIAS) to assess their true compliance. Often, this reveals lower compliance than anticipated. However, with guidance from ERAS® Society clinical experts, compliance typically doubles by the program’s end. Without ongoing data monitoring, compliance can drop, leading to longer hospital stays. Continuous data collection and auditing are essential to maintain improvements and ensure consistent, high-quality care. 

For more details, please visit this – link to “why continuous audit…” 

A: Benchmarking is important to share best practice: Benchmarking is crucial for continuous improvement and maintaining high standards in healthcare. It fosters a culture of healthy competition and collaborative learning, allowing teams to identify areas for improvement, share best practices, and enhance overall performance. This approach, endorsed by the ERAS® Society, drives excellence and innovation within healthcare organizations. Today, Encare and ERAS® Society provide several benchmarking options to support these goals. 

ERAS Benchmark Capabilities: 

• Compare with the International Standards (ERAS® Guidelines): EIAS allows you to benchmark your processes and ways of working against the globally recognized ERAS® guidelines, ensuring alignment with the best practices.
• Internal Benchmarking Within Your Organization: EIAS enables comparisons across different departments or locations.
• Benchmark with Other Healthcare Providers: ERAS Society and Encare enable you to compare your results with other healthcare providers, offering valuable insights and learning opportunities.
• Benchmark with Sub-Communities of Disclosed Hospitals: Encare supports, on a voluntary basis,  benchmarking within specific sub-communities where hospital names are disclosed, allowing for more detailed and transparent comparisons.