Psychological prehabilitation improves surgical recovery, study finds

Significantly reduces the length of hospital stay, pain, anxiety, and depression after surgery

2025-03-17

(Press-News.org) A new analysis led by surgeons at UCLA Health finds that psychological prehabilitation can significantly enhance recovery after surgery. The research, led by Anne E. Hall in the lab of Dr. Justine Lee analyzed data from 20 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted between 2004 and 2024, involving a total of 2,376 patients. It is published in the Annals of Surgery

What is Psychological Prehabilitation? Prehabilitation is a proactive approach aimed at improving surgical outcomes through preventive measures. Traditionally, it has focused on physical function and patient education. However, mental health has recently gained attention due to its crucial role in postoperative recovery, including reducing persistent opioid use.

Study Methods The researchers conducted a systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression of RCTs retrieved from databases such as MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and Google Scholar. They included studies with more than 50 adult surgical patients and evaluated the effects of different preoperative psychotherapy-based interventions, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), supportive psychotherapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), on postoperative outcomes.

Key Findings The study found that psychological prehabilitation significantly reduces the length of hospital stay, pain, anxiety, and depression after surgery. Specifically, the analysis showed:

A reduction in length of hospital stay (LOS) by an average of 1.62 days; A decrease in pain by an average of 3.52 points; Lower anxiety levels regardless of which validated anxiety scale was used; Reduced depression levels regardless of which validated depression scale was used. Interestingly, the type of psychotherapy and the kind of surgery did not significantly affect the outcomes, except for anxiety.

Implications for Healthcare The findings suggest that incorporating psychological prehabilitation into pre-surgery routines could lead to better overall recovery for patients. This approach may also help reduce healthcare costs associated with prolonged hospital stays and postoperative complications.

Future Research The study highlights the need for further research to compare different types, durations, and delivery methods of psychotherapy to determine the most effective strategies for specific postoperative outcomes.

For more details, read the full study in the Annals of Surgery.

Article: Hall, Anne E. BS; Nguyen, Nghiem H. BA; Cascavita, Catherine T. MLS, BA; Shariati, Kaavian MEng, BS; Patel, Archi K.; Chen, Wei PhD; Kang, Youngnam PhD; Ren, Xiaoyan MD, PhD; Tseng, Chi-Hong PhD; Hidalgo, Marco A., PhD; Lee, Justine C., MD, PhD, FACS. The Impact of Psychological Prehabilitation on Surgical Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression. Annals of Surgery ():10.1097/SLA.0000000000006677, February 19, 2025. | DOI: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000006677

END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Neighborhood dispute among cells: Whichever successfully exerts force wins

2025-03-17

Trial of strength at the cellular level: cells are in constant competition with each other and so eliminate diseased or unwanted cells. Cell competition is therefore a central principle for maintaining the health of tissues and organs. Researchers have investigated the success factors of superior cells and discovered a previously unknown winning strategy in mechanical cell competition. They identified a variety in the ability of cells to exert mechanical forces onto other cells as the decisive regulator. With their results ...

Deadline extended for the fifth edition of the SWIM Award for Science Journalism

2025-03-17

Milan, Italy – March 2025 – The Italian Association of Science Writers, SWIM, has announced an extension of the application deadline for the 2025 SWIM Award. Candidates now have until March 31, 2025, at 23:59 CET to submit their applications for the prestigious award, which has been recognizing excellence and innovation in science journalism in Italy since 2021. The SWIM Award highlights the critical role of science journalists in fostering public understanding and dialogue on scientific issues. The competition also serves as the Italian selection process for the European ...

Unique dove species is the dodo of the Caribbean and in similar danger of dying out

2025-03-17

On first inspection, the Cuban blue-headed quail dove doesn’t look like much: drab brown feathers, a slender beak, a pronounced strut in their walk typical of most other doves. You’d be forgiven for overlooking it in favor of Cuba’s prismatic parrots. But looks aren’t everything. For decades, this unassuming bird has perplexed biologists, who have no idea where it came from, how it got to the island or what it’s related to. Now, for the first time, scientists have sequenced DNA from the blue-headed quail dove with the goal of finally getting to the bottom of things. Instead, they’re even more perplexed now than when they started. “This ...

Free University Brussels (VUB) opens its doors to censored American researchers

2025-03-17

The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) is opening 12 postdoctoral positions for international researchers, with a specific focus on American scholars working in socially significant fields. These prestigious fellowships come with substantial funding (€2.5 million) as part of the European Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) program. Additionally, as part of the Brains for Brussels initiative, VUB aims to actively attract American professors looking to relocate. In collaboration with its Francophone sister university ULB, VUB is also providing 18 apartments for international ...

Neuroanatomy that sets humans apart from other primates

2025-03-17

Researchers have widely accepted that what sets humans apart from nonhuman primates are prefrontal cortex–driven behaviors such as decision-making, reasoning, planning, and attention. In a new JNeurosci paper, research led by Rogier Mars, at University of Oxford, and Katherine Bryant, at Aix-Marseille University, provides a better picture of the cortical evolution that distinguishes human brains from other primates. The researchers compared cortical organization not only between humans and macaques, which is a standard for human and nonhuman primate ...

Stress and sex influence traumatic brain injury outcomes

2025-03-17

How stress impacts behavioral outcomes of traumatic brain injury (TBI) represents a major gap in knowledge. This oversight is especially felt by those in the military due to the high prevalence of TBI and the abundance of stress that they endure. In a study funded by the US Department of Defense, researchers led by Pamela VandeVord at Virginia Tech discovered that prior stress exposure influences TBI outcomes in a sex-dependent manner. In their eNeuro paper, VandeVord and colleagues used an unpredictable stress paradigm ...

Study: suppressing key protein may unlock immunotherapy for Glioblastoma

2025-03-17

MIAMI, FLORIDA (EMBARGOED UNTIL MARCH 17, 2025, AT NOON EDT) – Glioblastoma has remained one of the toughest cancers to treat, resisting even the latest advances in immunotherapy. But new research from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, suggests a way forward: suppressing a protein called ZNF638 triggers an antiviral immune response, making immune checkpoint inhibitors more effective. The discovery not only offers a potential new treatment strategy but also identifies ...

Early surgical intervention in children with sleep-disordered breathing reduces need for doctor visits, prescriptions

2025-03-17

In a randomized trial, Mass General Brigham researchers found the surgical removal of tonsils and adenoids was effective for children with snoring and mild sleep apnea An estimated 6 to 17 percent of children have sleep-disordered breathing, ranging from snoring to sleep apnea, which can cause behavioral, neurocognitive, cardiovascular, and cardiometabolic issues. A new study from Mass General Brigham researchers reveals that adenotonsillectomy—the surgical removal of tonsils and adenoids—is an effective early intervention for these children. Their results are published in JAMA Pediatrics. “To ...

Statin use and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma and liver fibrosis in chronic liver disease

2025-03-17

About The Study: This cohort study found that statin use was associated with a reduced risk of hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatic decompensation in patients with chronic liver disease. These findings provide support for the potential role of statins in prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma and liver disease progression. Corresponding Authors: To contact the corresponding authors, email Jonggi Choi, MD, PhD, (j.choi@amc.seoul.kr) and Raymond T. Chung, MD, (chung.raymond@mgh.harvard.edu). To ...

Gender-affirming hormone therapy and depressive symptoms among transgender adults

2025-03-17

About The Study: In this longitudinal observational cohort study, gender-affirming hormone therapy was associated with lower rates of moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms, highlighting the importance of gender-affirming primary care models for transgender, nonbinary, and gender diverse patients. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Sari L. Reisner, ScD, MA, email sreisner@umich.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.0955) Editor’s ...

Psychological prehabilitation improves surgical recovery, study finds

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: