What is the role of occupational therapy in an Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) protocol?

Presentation Preference: Oral or Poster Objectives: ERAS has prompted changes to practice across the surgical, anaesthetic and nursing professions that have minimised the surgical stress response and reduced length of hospital stay. The next goal for ERAS teams is to return patients to normal function as quickly as possible following discharge. Occupational therapists support patients to recover and overcome any barriers that prevent them from doing activities (occupations) that matter to them. This study examines the current role of occupational therapy (OT) in ERAS. Methods: A broad literature search was conducted on 26th January 2016 as described in Table 1. Results: Table 1 (MM "Occupational Therapy") OR (MM "Activities of Daily Living") OR (MM "Self-Help Devices") OR occupational therap* OR activities of daily living OR self care OR assistive devices OR assistive technology AND "enhanc* recover*" OR "fast track" OR "ERAS" OR "rapid surgery" OR "accelerated surgery" OR "rapid recovery" OR "accelerated recovery" Peer-reviewed, English language abstracts, published after 2000, were searched in the ScienceDirect, MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Cochrane databases.