Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS): Protocols, Outcomes, and Implementation Science

This chapter offers a detailed examination of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery protocols, tracing their development from early perioperative optimization efforts to multimodal, evidence-based care pathways now embedded across major surgical specialties. It synthesizes the evidence base for individual ERAS elements including preoperative carbohydrate loading, multimodal analgesia, and early mobilization, while critically addressing implementation barriers, compliance monitoring, and strategies for sustaining ERAS adoption in diverse healthcare settings.