Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center recently started offering a new service for patients who have undergone colorectal surgery.
 
Enhanced Recovery After Surgery follows evidence-based practices to help patients prepare for their procedure and provide a smooth recovery, according to a news release.
 
“Our main goal with ERAS is to partner with patients in their own care. This includes extensive education prior to surgery where patients are given instructions on what they need to do before surgery in order to improve recovery after surgery,” Richard Scallion, of Novant Health Surgical Associates, said in the news release.
 
The education includes information about what to expect from a pain management perspective, as well as expectations for activity levels after surgery.
 
A patient’s care team uses multiple methods to decrease and help control pain post-surgery, reducing the need for narcotic pain medications. Narcotics have been shown to delay bowel recovery and potentially increase nausea and lethargy.