Prehabilitation — Being Proactive with Surgical Risks
What is your instinctive reaction when you receive the news that you need surgery? Fear? Anxiety? A sense of helplessness? Have you ever wondered why these emotions are your first response? Could patients have any control over the outcome of their surgeries?
Surgery, regardless of its complexity, comes with risks. Typically, we consider those risks as potential complications to the surgery or lasting side effects from the illness itself. This perspective is further enforced by hospitals’ traditional focus on managing risks after surgical procedures. Extensive steps were taken to address post-surgery care, such as Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) programs, centralizing highly complex, low-volume surgical procedures, and requiring surgical audits. Yet, all developed approaches have been ignoring pre-surgical care. Just as it’s better to prevent an issue than to react after it happens, wouldn’t it be more effective to prevent the problem from even happening?
Prehabilitation is a proactive approach that prepares individuals for major surgery by optimizing their health beforehand. Although most technical factors are still in the hands of the hospital and doctors, patient-centered factors such as exercise, nutrition, cognitive, and psychosocial training are critical modifiable risk factors that can significantly influence surgical outcomes.
Surgery, regardless of its complexity, comes with risks. Typically, we consider those risks as potential complications to the surgery or lasting side effects from the illness itself. This perspective is further enforced by hospitals’ traditional focus on managing risks after surgical procedures. Extensive steps were taken to address post-surgery care, such as Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) programs, centralizing highly complex, low-volume surgical procedures, and requiring surgical audits. Yet, all developed approaches have been ignoring pre-surgical care. Just as it’s better to prevent an issue than to react after it happens, wouldn’t it be more effective to prevent the problem from even happening?
Prehabilitation is a proactive approach that prepares individuals for major surgery by optimizing their health beforehand. Although most technical factors are still in the hands of the hospital and doctors, patient-centered factors such as exercise, nutrition, cognitive, and psychosocial training are critical modifiable risk factors that can significantly influence surgical outcomes.
There are simple ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle that align with prehabilitation treatment goals.
Image Source: Jannis Brandt
A study published in the BMJ, a highly-cited medical journal, examined data from 186 clinical trials, analyzing the prehabilitation methods of nearly 15,700 patients. The results highlight a clear connection between pre-surgery preparation and improved recovery.
Researchers found that patients who exercised regularly before surgery had a 50% lower risk of complications. Similarly, those who maintained a healthy diet saw a 38% reduction in risk. A combination of diet, exercise, and social support lowered complication risks by 36%.
Beyond reducing complications, prehabilitation also shortened hospital stays. Patients who combined exercise and social support spent an average of two fewer days in the hospital, while those who focused on diet and exercise reduced their stays by over a day on average.
That said, the study had some limitations—many trials focused on individual hospitals, making it unclear how well these findings apply to different healthcare settings. Despite this, the results reinforce the value of prehabilitation; better physical fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being could help improve patient outcomes.
Surgery often feels daunting because of its inherent uncertainty. It is not intuitively comfortable to place your health in the hands of others, knowing the outcome is largely out of your control. However, prehabilitation offers a sense of reassurance. By taking active steps to improve your physical and mental well-being before surgery, you regain control over your health and may significantly improve your chances of a smoother recovery.
Researchers found that patients who exercised regularly before surgery had a 50% lower risk of complications. Similarly, those who maintained a healthy diet saw a 38% reduction in risk. A combination of diet, exercise, and social support lowered complication risks by 36%.
Beyond reducing complications, prehabilitation also shortened hospital stays. Patients who combined exercise and social support spent an average of two fewer days in the hospital, while those who focused on diet and exercise reduced their stays by over a day on average.
That said, the study had some limitations—many trials focused on individual hospitals, making it unclear how well these findings apply to different healthcare settings. Despite this, the results reinforce the value of prehabilitation; better physical fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being could help improve patient outcomes.
Surgery often feels daunting because of its inherent uncertainty. It is not intuitively comfortable to place your health in the hands of others, knowing the outcome is largely out of your control. However, prehabilitation offers a sense of reassurance. By taking active steps to improve your physical and mental well-being before surgery, you regain control over your health and may significantly improve your chances of a smoother recovery.
Featured Image Source: Martha Dominguez de Gouveia
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