Wanting to improve is not always the same as knowing how to improve—an example from a total knee arthroplasty pathway

[摘要] Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) (orenhanced recovery or fast-track) protocolsfor total knee arthroplasty (TKA) can beconsidered a quality improvement (QI) intervention, that is, their implementation may bedefined as a purposeful effort to improve careprocesses that will result in improved patientoutcomes.1 ERAS protocols are a multimodalapproach that improves the quality of patientcare, including reducing length of stay (LOS)for TKA.2 ERAS protocols seek to optimisethe perioperative pathway by using andcombining techniques such as minimally invasive surgery, regional anaesthetic techniques,multimodal opioid sparing pain managementand early mobilisation. ERAS protocols havebeen detailed and include procedure-specificguidelines for TKA.

[学科分类] 药学

[关键词] anaesthesia;quality improvement;surgery;healthcare quality improvement