Residents about to undergo surgery may fare better if they take several “prehab” precautions. Older people who prepare by walking, eating a healthy diet and using stress reduction techniques are likely to be discharged from the hospital sooner, gain a fuller recovery and experience less costly post-acute care, a new study finds.
“We believe every patient should train for a major operation. It’s like running a 5K race: You have to prepare,” said study coauthor Michael J. Englesbe, M.D., a liver transplant surgeon at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
“Prehab” optimizes a patient’s well-being and ability to withstand the stress of undergoing an operation, Dr. Englesbe added.
The study included more than 500 Medicare patients across Michigan, who were age 70 on average. Participants exercised, ate a healthy diet and practiced stress reduction techniques for at least a week before a major operation. Compared to a control group, they experienced shorter hospital stays (six days versus seven). Medicare paid nearly $3,200 less for hospital and post-hospital care for the prehab group than for controls: $31,641 as opposed to $34,837.
Skilled care post-acute insurance payments were also lower for these patients ($941 versus $1,566 for controls). Full findings appear in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
