Grant: Project Grant - PA: MSK, Skin and Oral Health: Clinical Research - MSK Health

Muscle weakness and delayed movement can significantly lengthen the time to recover from surgery in older patients. The loss of muscle strength during bed rest can be as high as 5% per day. After two days of minimal movement (e.g., bed rest), many older patients can no longer perform daily activities (e.g. getting to the toilet, eating, washing and getting dressed) as well as they did before. Prolonged bed rest after surgery increases the rates of post-surgical complications, deaths and are more likely to be readmitted to hospital. A healthcare priority is to develop protocols to educate and assist these patients to begin moving safely as soon as possible. In Canada, more than one third of all surgical operations are performed on patients over the age of 65 years; however, surgical units lack elder-friendly approaches to recovery. We have developed a self-directed patient exercise program specifically designed for the older patient to be initiated the day after surgery. The aim of the program is to prevent the loss of muscle strength and improve health outcomes following surgery. . To build upon these promising results, we propose to conduct a large-scale (450 patients), multi-site clinical trial to assess the effectiveness of this self-directed exercise program - BE FIT. The program will be initiated and supported by licensed physiotherapists beginning on the first day after surgery. Patients will be randomized to receive either the BE FIT program or the usual standard of care. The main study outcome will be to determine if the BE FIT program leads to improvements regarding movement and physical function. Also, we will assess the potential impact on the patients' quality of life. We expect that the BE FIT program will reduce recovery times, reduce post-surgery complications, and allow older patients to maintain their functional status on return home.