A doctor picks up the chart of a patient scheduled for prostate cancer surgery that morning and the doctor’s orders do not say NPO. A head-scratcher for some, but for other doctors involved in the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) pathway - it makes perfect medical sense.
Like a marathon runner needs to consume extra energy to endure the physical stress of a race, evidence is now showing that patients given a sugary drink at 12 hours and then three hours before surgery will have the extra energy needed to heal better from the "physiological stress” of surgery.
This is just one of over 20 actions recommended by the ERAS pathway. And the pathway requires an entire team to make it work – surgeons, anesthesiologists, post-op nursing, ward nursing and dietary staff.
SSC provided close to $500,000 to fund a pilot colorectal ERAS initiative at four key sites in Interior Health (Kelowna General, Penticton Regional, Royal Inland, and Vernon Jubilee hospitals). Both qualitative and quantitative data was collected to ensure the pathway led to improved results.
Based on the success of the pilot program, SSC is implementing a provincial Collaborative to strengthen capacity in Enhanced Recovery After Surgery. Sites from all health authorities are participating. The provincial ERAS Collaborative is an opportunity for cross-site learning and cooperatively developing evidence-based practices to improve perioperative care and patient outcomes.The Collaborative goals are:
- To recognize, support and develop site level capacity in all BC health authorities for implementing change.
- To put in place the resources needed to accelerate and sustain the adoption and consistent implementation of evidence‐based consensus recommendations, and guidelines.
- To design the Collaborative to include patient‐specific concerns and desires, improve communication, and support multi-disciplinary work.
More about the ERAS
