Journal of Surgical Simulation 2016; 3: A: 10 - 10

Published: 25 February 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1102/2051-7726.2016.A010

Oral presentation

Special Issue: Enhanced recovery pathway improvement

Martin Kuper
Corresponding author: Martin Kuper, Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Homerton Row, London, E9 6SR, UK. Email: Martin.Kuper@homerton.nhs.uk

Abstract

The national enhanced recovery programme aimed to implement best practice elective surgical pathways, and to do so rapidly ‘in 2 years not 20…’ The programme showed that high quality pathways which frontload the delivery of evidence-based value-adding elements can deliver excellent patient experience and improve quality while delivering efficiency. The London programme showed that improvement is deliverable at scale and speed and that clinical and operational elements can be brought together by clinical and managerial alignment.

Some of the lessons include:

-Having a plan and delivering it improves outcomes

-Variation needs to be around the patient, not around the medical pathway

-Data is key

-Simulation can play a key role in pathway development

There is enormous potential for further innovation and pathway improvement using the same principles.

Keywords

enhanced recovery; surgical pathway; elective surgery; patient outcome

Additional Information

This presentation was given at the Fifth Annual Homerton Simulation Conference: Innovations in Healthcare, Patient Safety and Simulation, Homerton University Hospital, London, UK, on 10 December 2015.

Conflicts of interest: none declared.