‘Prehab’ before surgery means less time in hospital, better patient outcomes, P.E.I. researcher says [Video]

Getting better quickly after a surgery isn’t just a matter of how well the procedure went. New research shows that patients, especially older adults, can significantly improve their recovery by preparing for surgery in advance.

This approach is called prehabilitation, or prehab — a program that includes exercise, better nutrition, psychological support, and cognitive training to help position patients to recover faster.

Dr. Daniel McIsaac, originally from Mermaid, P.E.I., is among the people leading a systematic review of prehab published last month. He works in the departments of anesthesiology and pain medicine at Ottawa Hospital.

For the review, McIsaac and his co-authors at Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, McGill University in Montreal and St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto analyzed data from 15,000 patients receiving planned surgeries, as opposed to operations needed on an emergency basis.

They have noticed many benefits for patients who participate in prehab programs, the University of Ottawa professor said.

“We’re …