Patient care model saves lives and frees up hospital beds

Adelaide anaesthetist Professor Guy Ludbrook is leading the development of the ‘enhanced care’ model − Anaesthesia Recovery and Response Care (ARRC) − which is already transforming patient outcomes at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH). 

“At RAH, the ARRC initiative saves a life every day, and by accelerating patient recovery, it frees up more than 40 hospital beds daily, ensuring that more patients can receive timely treatment,” he explains.

"By continuing to monitor and manage patients through the critical post-operative phase, anaesthetists are able to significantly reduce complications and speed up recovery. 

"This approach has proven to be a game-changer, not only in terms of improving patient outcomes but also in enhancing hospital efficiency."

Professor Ludbrook, a specialist anaesthetist at Royal Adelaide Hospital, is speaking about the initiative on Saturday 3 May at the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists’ Annual Scientific Meeting in Cairns. 

Nearly 1800 anaesthetists and specialist pain medicine physicians are attending the meeting at the Cairns Convention Centre from 2-6 May.

Professor Ludbrook will reveal how anaesthetists' ongoing presence in the recovery room and throughout the critical post-operative period − extending into the morning after surgery − has been shown to reduce major complications, improve recovery times, and lower the risk of mortality by up to 35 per cent. 

Professor Ludbrook says the growing success of ARRC at RAH has led to the development of an ARRC Network, a global collaboration among hospitals aiming to expand this model of care to improve patient recovery and reduce pressure on hospitals. 

Through collaborative research, hospitals worldwide are refining and expanding the benefits of this approach, with the goal of further improving both patient and hospital outcomes.

"ARRC has the potential to redefine post-operative care across the globe. By fostering partnerships and sharing insights through the ARRC Network, we are creating a future where patients recover faster and more safely, and hospitals become more efficient in meeting the needs of their communities," he explains.