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The Impact of Surgical Prehabilitation on Postoperative Patient Outcomes: A Systematic Review
Journal article   Peer reviewed

The Impact of Surgical Prehabilitation on Postoperative Patient Outcomes: A Systematic Review

Michael R. Kann, Emily Estes, Sangami Pugazenthi, Awinita Barpujari, Vamsi Mohan, James L. Rogers, Jayanth A. Kashyap, Angela Hardi and Christopher S. Graffeo
The Journal of surgical research, v 306, pp 165-181
Feb 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2024.11.024
PMID: 39778235
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel

Abstract

Patient outcomes Prehab Prehabilitation Preoperative rehabilitation Surgical outcomes
Prehabilitation (preoperative rehabilitation) encompasses a range of patient health driven interventions with the potential to enhance surgical outcomes. This systematic review aims to assess the efficacy of prehabilitation on postoperative outcomes across surgical specialties, focusing on physical functionality and postoperative length of stay (LOS). Medline, Embase, CINAHL Plus, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Clinicaltrials.gov databases were queried using the search terms prehabilitation, surgery, and related synonyms. Included publications were original, English-language, full-text studies conducted in the US with a cohort of ≥5 patients undergoing prehabilitation. After title (n = 1817), abstract (n = 1059), and full-text (n = 411) screens, 26 articles met inclusion criteria. Of 26 included articles, 30.8% (n = 8) assessed oncologic surgeries, 34.6% (n = 9) assessed orthopedic surgeries, 19.2% (n = 5) assessed general surgery procedures, and 15.4% (n = 4) assessed cardiac, colorectal, urologic, and transplant surgeries. Physical function was the most common assessed primary outcome, with 46.2% (n = 12) of studies measuring physical activity, functional status, range of motion, or muscle strength. The outcomes of six-meter walk test, sit-to-stand test, and LOS were reported in 26.9% (n = 7), 23.1% (n = 6), and 19.2% (n = 5) of studies, respectively. Three studies found a significant improvement in the six-meter walk test, and four studies demonstrated a significant improvement in sit-to-stand test after prehabilitation. LOS outcomes had varied results across studies. Prehabilitation interventions have the potential to improve postoperative outcomes, including physical function and LOS in surgical patients. Further research is necessary to identify the most efficacious prehabilitation protocols and determine their optimal impact within diverse surgical subpopulations.

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#5 Gender Equality
#2 Zero Hunger
#3 Good Health and Well-Being

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Surgery
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