Innovation Anthology #724:

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ERAS  is an acronym for Enhanced Recovery After Surgery.

It’s a new research program in Alberta that’s designed to evaluate current surgical practices, including pre- and post-op,  to improve patient care.

Dr. Leah Gramlich is a gastroenterologist at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton.

As she explains, a few tweaks to colorectal surgeries, for example, have already produced some impressive results.

DR LEAH GRAMLICH: We’ve implemented ERAS, using this 3 components,  the guideline, the teams, the audit process, in over 1800 patients.  We’ve reduced length of stay in the period of  the 18 months post  implementation by 2 days.  We have reduced complications by fifty percent.  And we’ve reduced readmissions almost by half.  So we’ve gone from 18 percent of patients needing to be readmitted after colorectal surgery  to 9 percent of patients  We’ve saved the system in our first 600 patients 2.4 million. High estimate, 4.7 million.  
 
According to Dr. Gramlich, with over 100,000 different surgeries a year in Alberta, the potential for savings is very high.  

Thanks today to ALBERTA INNOVATES HEALTH SOLUTIONS

FOR INNOVATION ANTHOLOGY
I’M CHERYL CROUCHER

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Alberta Innovates Health Solutions

Alberta Innovates (formerly Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions)

As the newly formed Alberta Innovates corporation, we still fund top quality, internationally competitive health research and innovation activities to improve the health and wellbeing of Albertans. We provide leadership for Alberta’s health research and innovation enterprise by directing, coordinating, reviewing, funding and supporting research and innovation.

Working with our many partners  in the health system, we ensure that research achieves innovation in care, policy and practice, and that the needs of patients and clinicians influence research.

Our background

Alberta Innovates consolidation was launched November 1, 2016.

Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions

Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions was established as part of the Alberta Innovates system by an Act of Legislation of the Government of Alberta. It is a agency  of the Government of Alberta. We receive a yearly allocation from the Ministry of Health and report through the ministry to the people of Alberta.

Our Mandate and Roles document reflects our role and responsibilities and outlines the government statues and regulations with which we comply.

Alberta’s Health Research and Innovation Strategy (AHRIS) sets out Alberta’s health research agenda for the coming decade to ensure our considerable investments in research align with our priority—to improve the health of Albertans.

Program Date: 2015-10-15