Undergoing
surgery imposes a stressful challenge to the normal physiology of the body.
This may prove to be difficult for patients with frailty to handle due to their
propensity for comorbidities,
and invariable decline in
physiological reserves, nutritional health and cognitive function. Furthermore,
frailty is a key prognostic factor in
post-operative complications, functional
recovery and mortality.
In recent years, great focus has
been placed on the concept of rehabilitation in the frail surgical population.
Rehabilitation during the pre- and post-operative periods minimise the effect of surgical stress
response, metabolic deconditioning, and aids in accelerating return to baseline
functional capacity. This workshop aims to equip healthcare professionals with
the knowledge to screen and identify adults
with frailty and
introduce evidence-based strategies to manage these patients from pre-operative
to post-operative periods.
