Annals of Surgery · 12 authors, 8 centres
This summary was generated by AI from a single paper. It has not been reviewed by a clinician and is not clinical advice. Verify against the source before acting on it.
This prospective cohort study with propensity-matched controls assessed a multimodal prehabilitation program for major surgery candidates. It found no overall benefit in the entire study group, but patients who completed the program, especially those undergoing highly aggressive surgeries, showed reduced hospital length of stay and cost savings.
This study assessed the real-world effectiveness and cost of a multimodal prehabilitation program in a tertiary-care hospital. Using a prospective cohort design with propensity-matched controls, it evaluated 328 patients undergoing major surgery. An intention-to-treat analysis of all participants showed no significant differences in postoperative outcomes or costs versus controls. However, a per-protocol analysis of the 112 patients (34%) who completed the program revealed a significant reduction in mean hospital length of stay. The authors note a low program completion rate and suggest factors like logistical barriers and alignment with surgical schedules may limit effectiveness. The findings highlight an efficacy-effectiveness gap and the need to adapt prehabilitation to patient surgical risk and improve implementation.
