The Impact of AI-Assisted Nursing Care Intervention Within the Enhanced Recovery Framework on Outcomes of Colorectal Surgery Patients

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide, affecting a large number of people each year (Bray et al., 2022). Surgical intervention remains the gold standard in treatment. However, advances in surgical techniques and increased effectiveness of neoadjuvant therapies have brought sphincter-preserving surgeries to the forefront, reducing the need for stoma creation compared to the past (Jo \& Wilson, 2025; Wang et al., 2025). Even without stoma creation, these patients face complex care needs in the post-discharge period, including changes in bowel habits, nutritional management, and adaptation to physical activity (Wang et al., 2025). Difficult-to-manage complications carry a high risk of readmission to the hospital. Patients receive limited support during the transition from the hospital to home and at home (Storm et al., 2024). Patients and their families are often left alone to manage home care until routine follow-up appointments. Patients, especially those poorly prepared for discharge, may not know how to perform care practices at home or what to watch out for in case of complications. Situations that are well managed in the hospital can spiral out of control upon inadequate follow-up after the patient returns home, leading to unplanned readmissions. Insufficient postoperative patient follow-up can cause anxiety in patients, leading to readmissions due to the inability to manage the home care process effectively (Storm et al., 2024). Although accelerated recovery after surgery (ERAS) is known to shorten hospital stays (Gustafsson et al., 2025; Gustafsson et al., 2019), studies show varying results regarding readmissions, re-operations, developing complications, and survival (Coleman et al., 2006; Takchi et al., 2020; Lee et al., 2022). These variable results highlight the need for a structured discharge process and home care management for patients who undergo ERAS and are discharged home earlier. In the study by Takchi et al. (2020), a sched