Defining postoperative quality of recovery

Abstract

Central to the practice of perioperative medicine and patient centred care are the abstract ideals of quality and recovery, neither of which have a universally accepted definition or assessment tool. Recovery definitions have progressed from a historical emphasis on short-term restitution of purely physiological parameters to a multidimensional concept, which includes physiological, nociceptive, emotive, functional and cognitive domains. With an ageing, ambulant perioperative population and an increasing understanding of the interplay between physiological stress and neurophysiology, there is increased importance of cognitive assessment. Current recovery assessment tools vary in their valida..