and prompts them to self-report various aspects of their care before
and after surgery. The app is another way the hospital encourages
patients to take ownership in their pain management. It's also part of
the hospital's desire to team with surgeons to make sure patients
recover from surgery quickly, successfully and comfortably.
Ms. Costilla points out that the ERAS pathway is part of the hospi-
tal's larger and ongoing effort to improve the patient experience.
"Focusing on patient needs is the right thing to do," she adds. "It
builds trust and lasting relationships between your facility and the
patients within your community."
The ERAS pathway is currently used only for colorectal surgery
patients. It's taken Presbyterian Hospital several years to enhance the
protocols to the point where leadership is comfortable implementing
the pathway in other service lines, but the program is gaining momen-
tum and several other specialties are poised to implement it. The hos-
pital is also serving as a model for eventually launching similar path-
ways in facilities across the rest of the Texas Health system.
"It's a great program, and it's only going to get bigger and better,"
says Ms. Preston. "We're excited about being part of the group that
laid the groundwork for its success, and we're looking forward to
pushing the processes across the health system because it really does
have a significant and positive impact on the patient experience."
OSM
5 2 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 8
