The ERAS Approach and Nursing Care in Women's Health and Gynecological Surgeries: A Narrative Review Based on Current Evidence

Abstract

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) is an evidence-based multimodal perioperative care approach aimed at reducing surgical stress response and accelerating postoperative recovery through the standardization of perioperative care processes. In recent years, the increasing implementation of ERAS protocols in women’s health surgeries has been associated with positive clinical outcomes, including reduced postoperative complication rates, shorter hospital stays, decreased opioid use, and improved patient satisfaction. ERAS protocols are reported to support perioperative care processes and contribute to enhanced recovery, particularly in gynecologic oncology surgeries and minimally invasive procedures.

Effective implementation of the ERAS approach requires multidisciplinary team collaboration. In this process, nurses undertake critical responsibilities such as patient education, support of early mobilization, pain management, nutritional support, complication monitoring, and care coordination. In addition, operating room nurses play an important role in the standardization of intraoperative care, maintenance of normothermia, infection control, and ensuring patient safety.

This narrative review evaluates the current applications of the ERAS approach in women’s health surgeries, including preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative care practices, its effects on patient outcomes, and the role of nursing care in light of current literature. Furthermore, existing challenges related to ERAS implementation and current gaps in the literature are discussed. Current evidence suggests that the ERAS approach supports patient-centered and evidence-based care practices in women’s health surgeries. This narrative review comprehensively examines the role of ERAS applications in nursing care within women's health and gynecological surgeries and highlights key priorities for future research.