Abstract

Background: The enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol has improved health quality by reducing the length of hospital stay and costs without increasing complications or readmissions. Patient satisfaction is an important predictor for the success of ERAS implementation. Therefore, the current study aimed to assess patient satisfaction with ERAS after colorectal surgery in Saudi Arabia.
Methodology: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in Saudi Arabia using an online questionnaire. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select the participants of the study for 3 months. For the qualitative data, frequency and percentages were presented in tables.
Results: Out of the 100 participants, 65% were male and 35% were female, with a mean age 55.2 ± 6.1 years. Most participants revealed American Society of Anesthesiologist grade II (42%), 17% underwent laparoscopic surgery, and 34% with stoma. The level of patient satisfaction was significantly correlated with Clavien-Dindo complications (p-value = 0.03), postoperative nausea and vomiting complications (p-value = 0.01), and surgical and medical team coordination (p-value = 0.04).
Conclusion: Most patients who underwent colorectal surgery according to the enhanced recovery protocol showed their satisfaction with healthcare received during their hospital stay. ERAS improved the quality of provided care and improved patient functional recovery. Patient satisfaction was significantly associated with complications and medical care coordination. The ERAS program reduced the pain that was linked to rapid recovery, reducing the length of hospital stay and reducing mortality, and readmission rate.

Key words: American Society of Anesthesiologist (ASA), ERAS, medical care coordination, postoperative complications, Saudi Arabia.