The Peri Operative Program
The Peri Operative Program (POP) relies on a simple concept: the better shape you are in going into surgery, the faster your recovery will be after surgery.
The program is based on three pillars: exercise, nutrition and psychological care. Patients who are referred to the clinic get access to a nutritionist, a kinesiologist and a nurse specialist in psycho-education and supportive counselling to help them improve their condition in the weeks preceding their surgery.
Preparation is key
Just like a marathon, a surgery represents a shock to the body, and to be able to face it, one must prepare in advance. Patients referred to the POP clinic usually have 4 weeks to get ready, and since their body is going to lose a lot of muscle mass during recovery, muscle gain prior to the surgery becomes even more important.
That is why the POP team offers tools to its patients, like a personalized nutritional plan and exercise program that they can choose to do at home or at the hospital, in the POP gym. Since this moment also proves to be very stressful for most, the patients get relaxation and meditation exercises to help them reduce their stress level. In one word, they empower their patients. They use the time where they would usually feel powerless and stressed to have them regain some control over their life.
The Montreal General Hospital is the only one in North America to offer such a clinic and there are only a few other places in the world offering it. At the moment, the POP clinic survives solely on donations. To help support it, please click here.
Our data has shown that if patients do nothing before surgery, only 35% of them will return to their baseline condition. That rate increases to 50% (still very low) when patients undergo rehabilitation after surgery. However, no less than 80% of patients who enter our program return to baseline. In fact, the worse shape people are in prior to surgery, the more they benefit from the program.