BACKGROUND: Despite consensus supporting enhanced recovery programs, their full implementation in such a context is difficult due to conventional practices within various groups of professionals. The goal of the EUropean PErioperative MEdical Networking (EUPEMEN) project was to bring together the expertise and experience of national clinical professionals who have previously helped deliver major change programs in their countries and to use them to spread enhanced recovery after surgery protocols (ERAS) in Europe. The specific aim of this study is to present and discuss the key points of the proposed recommendations for colorectal surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five partners from university hospitals in four European countries developed the project as partners. Following a non-systematic review of the literature, the European consensus panel generated a list of recommendations for perioperative care in colorectal surgery. A list of recommendations was formulated and distributed to collaborators at each center to allow modifications or additional statements. These recommendations were then discussed in three consecutive meetings to share uniform ERAS protocols to be disseminated. RESULT: The working group developed (1) the EUPEMEN online platform to offer, free of charge, evidence-based standardized perioperative care protocols, learning activities, and assistance to health professionals interested in enhancing the recovery of their patients; (2) the preparation of the EUPEMEN Multimodal Rehabilitation manuals; (3) the training of the trainers to teach future teachers; and (4) the dissemination of the results in five multiplier events, one for each partner, to promote and disseminate the protocols. CONCLUSION: The EUPEMEN project allowed the sharing of the expertise of many professionals from four different European countries with the objective of training the new generations in the dissemination of ERAS protocols in daily clinical practice through a new learning system. This project was proposed as an additional training tool for all the enhanced recovery program teams.

4th Department of Surgery Medical School Faculty of Health Sciences Aristotle University of Thessaloniki General Hospital George Papanikolaou Thessaloniki Greece

Department of Anaesthesia Resuscitation and Pain Therapy Miguel Servet University Hospital

Department of Surgery 2nd Faculty of Medicine Charles University and Motol University Hospital

Department of Surgery Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale Ferrara University of Ferrara Via Valle Oppio Lagosanto Italy

Department of Surgery Faculty of Medicine University of Zaragoza

Department of Surgery Universidad Miguel Hernández Elche Hospital General Universitario Elche Elche Spain

Department of Surgery University Hospital Kralovske Vinohrady Prague Czech Republic

Departments of Plastic Surgery

Eupemen Project Coordinator Institute for Health Research Aragón

Grupo Español de Rehabilitación Multimodal Zaragoza

Institute for Health Research Aragón

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