The effectiveness of ERAS guidelines in reducing postoperative pain

Area of Science:

• Pain Management
• Surgical Outcomes
• Evidence-Based Practice

Background:

• Poorly controlled acute postsurgical pain can lead to chronic opioid use.
• Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) guidelines aim to reduce opioid exposure and side effects.
• Optimizing postsurgical pain management is crucial for patient recovery and preventing long-term opioid issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess ERAS literature for guiding postoperative pain management changes.
• To implement and evaluate the outcomes of an ERAS guideline in an adult colorectal surgical unit.
• To disseminate findings on evidence-based practice changes in pain management.

Main Methods:

• A PICOT question guided an ERAS literature search.
• Articles were critically appraised using the FULD Critical Appraisal Tool.
• ERAS guidelines were implemented, and outcomes (analgesic, anesthesia, opioid use) were compared pre- and post-implementation.

Main Results:

• Five articles informed guideline development.
• Post-implementation, multimodal analgesics and regional anesthesia use increased.
• Opioid pain medication use significantly decreased following guideline implementation.

Conclusions:

• Evidence-based strategies can reduce postoperative pain and perioperative opioid consumption.
• Stakeholder engagement and timely rollout are key to successful EBP implementation.
• ERAS guidelines with multimodal analgesia effectively reduce pain and opioid use.