The PREPARE Trial:
Exercise before surgery to decrease patient-reported disability and complications after surgery in older adults with frailty
Why is this study being done?
People aged 60 years and older are the fastest growing part of the population and undergo surgery at a higher rate than any other age group.
This is of particular concern as frailty becomes more common with advancing age. Frailty is a condition that describes the build-up of weakness across multiple body systems and is a known risk factor for unfavourable outcomes after surgery.
Strong findings suggest that exercise before surgery (prehabilitation) may improve older people’s ability to walk and stand after surgery and lower rates of complications. Unfortunately, these findings are currently limited.
The purpose of this study is to obtain information about the effectiveness of a home-based preoperative exercise program (exercise prehabilitation) in lowering patient-reported disability and postoperative complications in older adults with frailty having major surgery. We will compare the results between those who participate in a home-based prehabilitation program before surgery to those who were provided with exercise and nutrition recommendations.
The PREPARE Trial is being conducted at 11 hospitals across Canada. Participating centres are located in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. The Coordinating Centre is located in Ottawa, Ontario.
It is expected that the PREPARE Trial will take about 3.5 years to complete. We look forward to sharing our results with participants via mail in 2025 after all of the data are collected and analyzed.
The PREPARE Trial is funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) and The Ottawa Hospital Academic Medical Organization (TOHAMO).
Who is coordinating this study?
The PREPARE Trial team is a multidisciplinary team with substantial experience in surgical care of older adults, clinical trials, and knowledge translation.
Our team consists of (but is not limited to) physicians, dietitians, kinesiologists, clinical exercise physiologists, clinical trial experts, statisticians, patient advisors, knowledge users, and experienced research staff.
The principal investigator for this trial, Dr. Daniel McIsaac, is an investigator from the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at The Ottawa Hospital. In addition to Dr. McIsaac, there is also a lead investigator at each participating hospital across the country.
To find out more about the PREPARE Trial team, click below.
Who can take part?
Patients who meet the following criteria are eligible to take part in the PREPARE Trial:
- 60 years of age, or older;
- Undergoing major elective, inpatient surgery (excludes neurosurgery, cardiac surgery, and orthopedic procedures);
- Surgery date expected to be between 3 and 12 weeks from the time of enrollment;
- Clinical Frailty Scale score of 4 or higher (assessed by a member of the research team).
If you think you might be eligible and would be interested in learning more, please contact the PREPARE Trial team at the contact information below!
Contact us
- Phone: 1-877-372-7316
- Email: prepare@toh.ca
Additional information can be found at: Clinical Trials.gov
