title: What does enhanced recovery mean for the community nurse?
abstract: The enhanced recovery programme (ERP) is being increasingly performed in hospitals in the UK. This article discusses the principles of enhanced recovery and aims to dispel myths and concerns that the ERP might increase the workload for the community nurse. Enhanced recovery can be used after colorectal and other surgery; this article will focus on colorectal issues, particularly stoma care. With enhanced recovery hospital stays can be reduced to approximately 4 days for resections of the colon. To achieve this care a number of elements are required including early feeding and early mobilization and this results in patients getting better quicker than they would with traditional hospital care.
authors.affiliation: St Mark's Hospital, North West London Hospitals NHS Trust. Jennie.Burch@nwlh.nhs.uk
authors.forename: Jennie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Burch
mesh_terms: D000359:Aftercare / Q000379:methods*; D003125:Colostomy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000451:nursing / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003152:Community Health Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D004434:Early Ambulation; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D010351:Patient Discharge; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D019990:Perioperative Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000451:nursing; D011300:Preoperative Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000451:nursing; D020127:Recovery of Function; D006113:United Kingdom; D016526:Workload