The Impact of Clinical Practice on Nursing Students Approaches to Enhanced Recovery After Surgery

By, Jasmina HOXHA MSc. RN, Nursel VATANSEVER PhD, RN.

Abstract
Background: The concept of ERAS was introduced by Professor Henrik Kehlet in the late 1990s. ERAS protocols are defined as a perioperative care model designed to reduce a patient’s stress response, prevent organ complications, provide early rehabilitation, and thus minimize the patient’s hospital stay.

Objective: This study aimed to explore nursing students’ attitudes towards Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) and how clinical experiences influence these attitudes. It sought to identify less-known ERAS areas for students and factors impacting their compatibility with ERAS. Materials and Methods: Conducted between November 2021 to March 2022, this descriptive and cross-sectional research included 199 nursing students from the second to fourth years of study at Bursa Uludağ University. The Approaches to Enhanced Recovery Practices After Surgery Survey was utilized for the data collection.

Results: 76.9% of participants were female, 62.3% had GPAs between 3.00 and 4.00, and 78.4% had graduated from qualified high schools. Overall, the correct answer level to survey questions was 62.17%, with a higher average among those with a higher GPA and qualified high-school graduates. “Early Mobilization” and “Pain Management” had the highest awareness, while “Catheter and Drain Use” and “Hypothermia” had the lowest. Gender, GPA, and high-school group correlated significantly with ERAS compliance.

Conclusions: Our research is similar to other studies conducted with nurses in terms of the ERAS components that were not well known by the participants. These findings will aid healthcare educators in enhancing ERAS compliance and education among nursing students.

Keywords: ERAS, Nurse, Nursing Students, Surgery