Recommendations for modern perioperative care for elective surgery: consensus of panel of exerts

Introduction: Correct surgical technique and perioperative care are the two factors which can reduce the number of complications, improve treatment outcomes and decrease hospital length of stay. Implementation of enhanced recovery protocols has changed the approach to patient care in some clinical centers. However, significant differences among clinical centers can still be observed and the standard of care has remained unchanged in some of them. Aim: The goal of the expert group was to develop recommendations for modern perioperative care in accordance with the current state of medical knowledge, in order to reduce the number of complications associated with surgical treatment. An additional goal was to optimize and standardize perioperative care among Polish healthcare facilities. Materials and methods: Recommendations presented in this document are based on a comprehensive review of available literature from the PubMed, Medline, and Cochrane Library databases, published from January 1, 1985, to March 31, 2022, with a particular focus on systematic reviews and clinical recommendations of widely recognized scientific associations. The recommendations were formulated in a directive form and assessed using the Delphi method. Results and conclusions: A total number of 34 recommendations for perioperative care were developed. The recommendations cover various aspects of pre-, intra-, and postoperative care. Implementation of guidelines presented in this document allows to improve the outcomes of surgical treatment.