title: Postoperative recovery and outcomes--what are we measuring and for whom?
abstract: Recovery is an abstract quantity the definition of which varies according to the pre-dilection of individual institutions, clinicians or patients. While traditionally focused on immediate postoperative restitution of function and readiness for discharge, recovery assessment has progressively expanded its focus to include other clinically relevant time periods, each of which is influenced by specific factors. Assessment tools have progressed from assessing one dimension of recovery, such as physiological variables, to multidimensional assessment of physical, nociceptive, emotive, functional and cognitive performance. They should be validated ideally for repeat measures and should provide real-time recovery data, as recovery can be viewed as a continuous process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesia and Pain Management, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Bowyer
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesia and Pain Management, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.|Department of Surgery, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Royse
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D004644:Emotions; D006801:Humans; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000175:diagnosis; D010351:Patient Discharge; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011184:Postoperative Period; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*