From Chew to Throughput: Supporting Faster Recovery

Authors

• Lindsay Kephart, CentraCare HealthFollow
• Morgan Thiry, CentraCare HealthFollow

Files

Description

Patients admitted with bowel-related diagnosis groups (DRGs) are experiencing extended lengths of stay.  The delay in return of bowel function is a barrier to care progression for patients admitted with a bowel DRG. Evidence supports early implementation and consistent use of chewing gum to improve early GI motility, reducing overall length of stay.

This pilot aims to standardize gum chewing after surgery for our bowel patient population to promote early bowel function and help reduce hospital length of stay.

Publication Date

5-2026

Publisher

CentraCare

City

St. Cloud

Keywords

Chewing gum, Postoperative gastrointestinal function, Colorectal surgery, Postoperative ileus, Nursing interventions

Disciplines

Nursing | Perioperative, Operating Room and Surgical Nursing

Comments

InnovateHER Meeting Poster - May 19, 2026

Recommended Citation

Kephart, Lindsay and Thiry, Morgan, "From Chew to Throughput: Supporting Faster Recovery" (2026). InnovateHER Meeting 2026. 2.
https://digitalcommons.centracare.com/innovateher_meeting_2026/2