Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) for Cesarean Section
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Introduction/Purpose: Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) was first utilized in the field of colorectal surgery. Among anesthesia providers it was considered “goal directed fluid therapy”. Combining already proven ERAS protocols, anesthesia considerations, and the obstetric population, protocols for ERAS for cesarean sections have benefited the parturient patients. The purpose of this project was to assess the local anesthesia providers current utilization of ERAS, to implement ERAS of education for the providers, and assess to ERAS understanding after an educational initiative. Methods: This was a quality improvement project with pre and posttest to the anesthesia group in obstetrics to evaluate the current utilization level before and after introduction of ERAS protocols/interventions. The survey used with permission was from Pujic’s A Survey of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Protocols for Cesarean Delivery in Serbia to evaluate ERAS utilization. Results: An unpaired t-test was used to determine pre and post utilization of ERAS interventions for cesarean sections after an educational intervention. The data was not significantly different (p = 0.2488) but survey score averages increased 3.92 points from the pre (n=42) to post (n=16) surveys indicating an improvement in ERAS utilization overall. Discussion: This project sought to increase utilization of ERAS for cesarean sections amongst anesthesia providers. Ultimately, utilization of ERAS for cesarean sections holds the potential to change the practice of current providers at the local facility.