IMR Press / CEOG / Volume 50 / Issue 1 / DOI: 10.31083/j.ceog5001014
Open Access Review
Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) in Gynecology: State of the Art and the Problem of Barriers
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1 Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, 25121 Brescia, Italy
2 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, AOUI-University of Verona, 37100 Verona, Italy
3 Department of Gynaecologic Oncology, Oxford University Hospitals, OX1 Oxford, UK
*Correspondence: f.ferrari.obgyn@gmail.com (Federico Ferrari)
Academic Editor: Christos Iavazzo
Clin. Exp. Obstet. Gynecol. 2023, 50(1), 14; https://doi.org/10.31083/j.ceog5001014
Submitted: 27 July 2022 | Revised: 8 October 2022 | Accepted: 9 October 2022 | Published: 12 January 2023
Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s). Published by IMR Press.
This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Abstract

Objectives: The advantages of the enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols application in all surgical branches have been largely demonstrated, even though there is a lack of a strong evidence from randomized trial and the evidence regarding the multimodality treatments is of low grade. Moreover, the problem of the barriers to the implementation of these protocols in clinical practice remains an unsolved problem. Mechanism: We performed a narrative review reporting the main barriers and enablers on the subject. Finding in Brief: The main barriers are resistance to change, lack of support from institutions and of financial resources or manpower, poor communication and collaboration within the multidisciplinary team, organizational problems, lack of standardized protocols, patient-related barriers (individual factors, reluctance, or inadequate education) and lastly clinical practice in small community hospitals. To overcome these problems, several enablers have been identified including: the involvement of the patient, the reorganization of care systems through standardized ERAS protocols, identification of a leader/coordinator, promotion of teamwork and staff education, financial resources, and the recognition of the role of the professionals involved. Conclusions: At this moment, resistance to change remains the most frequent and difficult barrier to overcome and, in our opinion, a reorganization of the health system aiming to the implementation of the ERAS protocols in the clinical practice is required.

Keywords
ERAS
gynecological surgery
protocol implementation
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