AHRQ new toolkit may improve post-surgical complications

Editor's Note

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) published a new toolkit geared toward helping to improve complications and enhance patient recovery after surgical procedures, AHRQ News Now June 27 reports.

The new toolkit, titled Toolkit for Improving Surgical Care and Recovery, "addresses common surgical complications such as surgical site and urinary tract infections, and venous thromboembolism," noted AHRQ. The toolkit was created for perioperative staff and surgical teams by surgeons and has been tested in more than 300 hospitals nationwide. It includes "evidence-based enhanced recovery pathways for colorectal, gynecologic, hip and knee replacement, hip fracture, and emergency general surgery."

As part of the AHRQ Safety Program for Improving Surgical Care and Recovery, the toolkit was made to apply already seen evidence for enhanced recovery "within the proven principles and methods of AHRQ's Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program" and improve perioperative safety culture. According to AHRQ, patients’ overall length of time after various procedures in hospitals using the new toolkit was "reduced significantly."