Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Program

The Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) program is designed to help patients prepare for a surgery and offers guidance for recovery. It is specifically designed to reduce the amount of stress a surgery can have on your body so your recovery is easier. Patients who follow the program have fewer complications and faster recovery after surgery.

What Is ERAS?

ERAS is short for Enhanced Recovery After Surgery. ERAS represents a new way of thinking about how we care for patients undergoing major surgery. It helps patients recover from their operation sooner, so that life can return to normal as quickly as possible. The different elements of the ERAS treatment program are based on the best available medical science. ERAS also focuses on making sure patients are actively involved in their recovery.

The main aspects of ERAS are:

Planning and preparation before admission, including improving nutrition and physical fitness before surgery
Reducing the physical stress of the operation
A structured approach to care management during the hospital stay, including pain relief and early nutrition
Getting patients up and moving as soon as possible

Benefits of ERAS

Numerous research reports have shown that using ERAS as opposed to traditional care has significant positive effects on recovery. For many surgeries, recovery time can be shortened by 30% or more and complication rates after the operation by at least as much.

Why Does ERAS Work?

The protocol is developed and run by a team of the key professionals involved: surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, dietitians, physiotherapists and others. Together, they manage the entire patient journey and audit the treatment continuously.

Learn More

Watch the video to hear from Community's clinical team about why ERAS is important for patient recovery.

Source: https://erassociety.org/patients