Perioperative medicine delivers patient-centred, multidisciplinary, integrated care for patients from the contemplation of surgery throughout the surgical pathway to recovery. High-quality perioperative care reduces complications, improves outcomes, and leads to improved patient satisfaction and reduced healthcare costs. This article is based on key findings and recommendations from the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) national report on perioperative medicine and outlines key concepts of perioperative medicine; exploring how practice can be transformed to improve care. The GIRFT report was produced using information gathered from 72 visits and 119 surveys from NHS trusts in England. It illustrates examples of exemplary perioperative care across the country but also describes variation in access to and provision of perioperative care. To address this unwarranted variation and to tackle the implementation gap, transformation of perioperative care pathways ensuring a patient-centered approach, multi-professional collaboration and widespread adoption of best practice will be required.
Keywords: GIRFT; perioperative care; surgery.
© Royal College of Physicians 2022. All rights reserved.