Using Telehealth Education to Support Adults Preparing for Lung or Major Abdominal Cancer Surgery

What this Trial Is About

The trial studies adults preparing for lung or major abdominal cancer surgery to evaluate the impact of an online education program delivered via telehealth. It compares this program with usual care to see if it reduces respiratory complications after surgery. The study also looks at secondary outcomes like hospital stay length, recovery, physical function, symptoms, quality of life, and survival. Participants receive either a one-time online group education session called Surgery School, featuring video presentations and a live clinician facilitator. Those awaiting lung cancer surgery in the intervention group may be randomly assigned to also receive an individualized inspiratory muscle training and walking program delivered by a physiotherapist via telehealth before surgery. The control group continues with usual care, which may include advice on smoking cessation, nutrition, and medical optimization. Throughout the study, participants are monitored for postoperative pulmonary complications daily up to 7 days or discharge. Various assessments include symptom questionnaires, physical activity measures, self-efficacy, behavior change, and quality of life surveys at baseline, preoperative, and postoperative timepoints. The study tracks attendance, video access, and participant satisfaction. Follow-up visits assess health service use and outcomes up to 12 months after surgery, with some data collected for up to 3 years.

Implementing Surgery School Prehabilitation Using Telehealth