What is Enhanced Recovery?
The main focus of the programme is:
- Reducing the physical stress of the operation
- A structured approach to immediate post-operative management including pain relief
- Early mobilisation
- Early feeding
- Setting nutritional and activity goals
All aspects of this programme will be beneficial to most patients while others may only benefit from certain aspects of it. Depending on your condition of health and fitness at the start, your recovery in this programme may be different from others. Nonetheless, we will try our best to help you use this programme as safely and practicable as possible to the best of your ability and needs.
Following major abdominal surgery, patients have traditionally remained in hospital between 1-2 weeks. Recently, it has been shown that by altering how patients are managed both before and after surgery they can be safely discharged home in 3-5 days. We hope that you will achieve this by gaining some control over your recovery.
During your hospital stay there will be daily goals for you to achieve with the help of your nursing and ward staff. We will give you a patient diary to record these daily goals. Please bring this into hospital on the day of your surgery. We ask that you fill in the sections highlighted to record and monitor your progress.
Don’t worry if you cannot achieve the goals exactly as the diary describes - these are only a guide. Each person recovers from surgery at a different rate compared to others.
If there is anything you are unsure about, please ask a member of staff or call one of the numbers at the end of this booklet.
