The National Health Commission (NHC) has released a notification with the goal of promoting enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) services across China. ERAS, as defined by the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology, is a patient-centered, evidence-based approach developed by multidisciplinary teams for a surgical specialty and facility. The focus is on reducing patients’ surgical stress response, optimizing physiologic function, and accelerating recovery, encompassing preadmission, preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases, as well as at-home recovery.
Implementation Guidelines for ERAS-Type Care
According to the NHC release, hospitals and provincial health commissions should address the following issues to implement ERAS-type care:
1. Improving Medical Service Capabilities
Medical institutions are required to strengthen the construction of relevant departments and enhance their understanding of the ERAS concept and model, improving the level of full-process medical services.
2. Enhancing Work Systems and ERAS Models
Institutions are encouraged to establish and refine management systems and mechanisms, develop work systems and diagnosis and treatment plans, promote multidisciplinary models, and optimize medical service processes.
3. Strengthening Management and Efficiency
The document outlines requirements for preoperative evaluation, preparation, surgical quality, postoperative management, and psychological support. It guides clinical rational selection of surgical timing and methods, with a focus on strengthening perioperative management, reducing surgical trauma, and promoting postoperative functional recovery.
4. Optimizing Policy Environment
The NHC calls for the optimization of the policy environment to ensure the smooth progress of related work. This includes guiding health administrative departments and medical institutions to improve evaluation indices and mechanisms, enhance incentive mechanisms, increase publicity, and utilize management tools to promote ERAS.
Development of Evaluation Indicators
Additionally, the NHC will organize experts to develop relevant evaluation indicators for reference by local health administrative departments and medical institutions.-Fineline Info & Tech
