CALHN My PreHab Project

The My PreHab project is led by Professor Jane Andrews and the Central Adelaide Local Health Network Surgery Program, with support from Health Translation SA (HTSA), Adelaide Primary Health Network (APHN), Personify Care and The Hospital Research Foundation (THRF).

My PreHab is an initiative that aims to turn the usually passive wait time for planned elective surgery into a valuable health opportunity that enables better outcomes for patients and alleviates strain on the healthcare system.

The program was co-created by patients, carers, and a multi-professional team of healthcare professionals inside and outside the hospital system, including senior allied health clinicians, general practitioners (GPs), advanced nurse practitioners/consultants, physicians and surgeons. Since its launch in the joint replacement pathways across CALHN, in  mid 2022, the digitally enabled CALHN PreHab Program has been implemented in several other surgical pathways including; Bariatric Surgery, Complex Hernias, Upper GI cancer, Rectal cancer with plans to expand over the next several months.

People referred for planned surgery are invited to and guided through a digitally enabled self-screening process to assess their overall health. Based on the results, tailored care plans are generated, empowering patients to take an active role in improving their health. They are encouraged to discuss these plans with their General Practitioner, who can provide additional advice and support. The companion website houses easily accessible, evidence-based health information to support informed decision-making in how to reduce risks ahead of possible surgery.

Surgery is an important part of healthcare, with over 2.5 million operations performed each year in Australia alone. However, one in five patients experience a complication after surgery, which significantly impairs patients’ health, leads to longer hospital stays and a higher chance of being readmitted to hospital. Many of these risks can be greatly reduced, if not completely prevented by ensuring people are as healthy as possible before surgery – a concept known as Prehabilitation (Prehab).

My PreHab Program aims to:

• Increase health literacy in the community
• Support GPs and patients to optimise health before surgery
• Reduce referrals for people not yet appropriate for surgery
• Reduce the rate of post-operative complications after planned surgery.
• Improve patient recovery and outcomes.
• Shorten the length of hospital stays.
• Optimise the use of existing healthcare resources.
• Potentially reduce the need for surgery through proactive health improvement.

For an update on the impact of the CALHN My PreHab Project 12 months from it's launch in 2022, view the event recording below. Please contact enquiries@healthtranslationsa.org.au if you would like to view the full event recording and receive a copy of the slides.