Table 2 Eligibility criteria for inclusion of studies

Population

Adults (18 years and above) undergoing colorectal surgery

Pediatric patients (patients under the age of 18 years), Patients undergoing non-colorectal surgery

Intervention

Implementation of standardized Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols, including preoperative optimization (e.g., nutritional assessments, carbohydrate loading), intraoperative care (e.g., minimally invasive techniques, optimal fluid management), and postoperative care (e.g., early mobilization, multimodal pain management, early oral feeding).

Studies not adhering to standardized ERAS protocols or lacking clear implementation details

Comparison

Traditional or standard of care without implementation of the ERAS protocols

Comparisons with enhanced or alternative recovery protocols, mixed care pathways, or unclear definitions of standard care

Outcome

Studies reporting postoperative outcomes, including hospital stay durations, readmission rates, complication and mortality rates, gastrointestinal recovery milestones (e.g., first flatus, defecation, bowel sounds), patient satisfaction and well-being, nutritional recovery (e.g., early enteral feeding), and markers of inflammation and immune function.

Studies that do not report on the postoperative outcomes relevant to the review

Study Design

Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) only

Non-RCTs, including observational studies (cohort, case-control, cross-sectional), case reports, case series, reviews, editorials, commentaries, preprints, animal or laboratory studies, and studies with low methodological quality (lacking clear controls or proper statistical analysis)

Year of Publication

Studies published in the last 10 years only (July 2014-July 2024)

Studies published outside this time-frame (before July 2014 and after July 2024)

Language

Studies published in English only

All foreign language publications (studies published in languages other than English)