Patient engagement to enhance recovery for children undergoing surgery

Area of Science:

• Surgical protocols and patient care

Background:

• Enhanced recovery protocols (ERPs) have been utilized for over two decades to mitigate surgical stress and inflammation.
• ERPs are founded on evidence-based principles encompassing patient preparation, minimally invasive techniques, and outcome auditing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the critical role of patient engagement within ERPs.
• To emphasize how comprehensive counseling and education empower patients and families as active stakeholders in the recovery process.

Main Methods:

• Optimizing pre-operative patient preparation.
• Employing minimally invasive anesthetic and surgical techniques to reduce trauma.
• Providing patients and families with written and visual educational resources detailing daily goals, pain management, nutrition, and discharge criteria.

Main Results:

• Patient and family engagement fosters effective healthcare team function and patient flow oversight.
• Clear communication of expectations and the rationale behind interventions empowers patients.
• Patients actively participating as partners in their care report improved satisfaction.

Conclusions:

• Enhanced recovery protocols (ERPs) significantly improve patient satisfaction, surgical outcomes, and healthcare value.
• Active patient and family involvement is a key component of successful ERP implementation.
• ERPs facilitate a collaborative approach, creating a shared vision between patients and healthcare teams for an optimal surgical experience.