Implementation of an enhanced recovery after surgery program including a patient school: Impact on quality of life results

Abstract

IntroductionEnhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols and educational programmes have been shown to accelerate orthopaedic surgery recovery with fewer complications, and improve patient-reported outcomes (PROs) for different types of surgery. The objective was to evaluate the impact of an ERAS programme including a patient school on health outcomes and PROs for Total Knee Replacement (TKR) surgery. Material and methodsA multidisciplinary group created the programme and the patient school (preoperative consultations where the patients’ surgical processes are explained and are also given instructions for an appropriate perioperative care management). An observational, prospective study was conducted on all patients operated for TKR from March 2021 to March 2022. Main health outcomes were: hospital stay length, surgical complications and surgery cancellations due to a wrong preoperative medication management. PROs evaluated were: patient satisfaction with pain management, the school, and quality of life before and after surgery (EQ-5D). ResultsOne hundred thirty-three patients were included. Median hospital stay length was 3 days (IQR 3-5). Rate of surgical complications was 25.6%. No surgery was cancelled. Patient satisfaction rates with pain management and with the school were 8.10/10 and 9.89/10, respectively. Concerning quality of life, mean improvement in mobility and knee pain after the surgery was 0.66 (p < 0.05) and 0.84 (p < 0.05), respectively. ConclusionsThe ERAS programme including a patient school was highly successful with a fast recovery, a short hospital stay length, no surgery cancellations, and improved PROs.