Prehabilitation in Major Surgery: An Evaluation of Cost Savings in a Tertiary Hospital

Background: Prehabilitation emerges as a program designed to enhance the patient’s functional capacity before surgery by addressing three key aspects: physical activity, proper nutrition, and the reduction of anxiety and frustration. Various prehabilitation models exist to optimize patients before surgery, including programs led by anesthesiologists, surgeons, endocrinologists, etc. The existing models demonstrate that appropriate patient optimization before surgery reduces postoperative complications, hospital stay, and re-admissions.(2) Methods: A total of 211 patients were included, of whom 76 were not enrolled in the surgical prehabilitation program based on the advanced practice nursing and internist model (control group), while 135 benefited from this program (intervention group).; (3) Results: Following the surgical prehabilitation model led by an advanced practice nurse in collaboration with an internist, a significant reduction was achieved in blood transfusions (p=0.014), postoperative complications (p<0.001), and hospital length of stay (p=0.004). Likewise, annual costs were reduced by a total of €593,453. (4) Conclusions: Following a surgical prehabilitation model reduces the number of postoperative complications, decreases hospital length of stay, and increases the savings on red blood cell transfusions. Likewise, implementing a model led by an advanced practice nurse in collaboration with an internist significantly reduces the annual costs of a tertiary hospital.