Patient education about recovery after colorectal surgery: systematic scoping review

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols aim to optimize recovery through a series of evidence-based recommendations. A key component of ERAS is the provision of patient education. Whilst the recommendation for this is strong, the evidence to inform its format, timing and delivery is unclear. The aim of this review was to describe previous educational interventions used to improve recovery after colorectal surgery and to explore opportunities for future research.

A systematic scoping review was performed. MEDLINE and Embase databases were searched between 1 January 1990 and 12 February 2020. Studies which described or assessed the effectiveness of a patient education or information resource to improve recovery after colorectal surgery were eligible. Outcomes of interest included the format, timing and delivery of interventions, as well as key features of intervention and study design. A narrative synthesis of data was produced through a process of charting and summarizing key results.

A total of 1298 papers were inspected, and 11 were eligible for inclusion. Five papers were reports of randomized controlled trials, and others reported a mix of non-randomized and qualitative studies. The design of educational interventions included audio-visual resources (n = 3), smartphone device applications (n = 3) and approaches to facilitate person-to-person counselling (n = 5). Most of the counselling interventions reported positive outcomes (mainly in length of hospital stay), whereas the other types reported mixed results. Patients and the public were seldom involved as collaborators in the design of interventions.

Patient education is generally advantageous, but there is insufficient evidence to optimize its design and delivery in the setting of colorectal surgery.