Principal Investigator: Mehul V. Rahul, MD; Co-Principal Investigator: Salva N. Balbale, MS, Doctoral Candidate Enhanced Recovery Protocols (ERPs) are evidence-based interventions that utilize perioperative education and counseling provided through surgery and recovery to safe discharge. ERPs have been found to decrease hospital length of stay, in-hospital costs, and complications among a variety of adult surgical populations, including those undergoing abdominal and gastrointestinal tract surgery. As many as 17 percent of the 70,000 children with IBD in the United States need surgery within five years of diagnosis to manage their disease. ERPs offer an opportunity to enhance the care of these young patients, yet these strategies are currently lagging in the pediatric setting. This study will lay the groundwork and provide a baseline assessment of ERPs in 15 pediatric surgical practice sites across the country. The investigators will evaluate the effectiveness and impact of ERPs on outcomes, and use their findings in the development of an implementation...
