Supporting patients in British Columbia on their surgical journeys
WHAT IS PREHABILITATION?
Research has shown that improving certain health factors before surgery can have a positive effect on surgical outcomes. You can use the wait time before your surgery to improve components of your health in order to have better outcomes. This includes things like improving your physical activity, mental wellbeing, and nutrition, and optimizing medical conditions like anemia, diabetes, and sleep apnea. The following pages provide information about different components of your health and things you can do to improve them before surgery.
Download a PDF version of the patient guide by clicking the image below, or access each health factor through the icons below or the menu on the left.
Legal Disclaimer
We try very hard to keep this information accurate and up-to-date, but we cannot guarantee this. We don’t expect this general information to cover all the questions you might have or to deal with everything that might be important to you. You should discuss your choices and any worries you have with your medical team, using this information as a guide. This information on its own should not be treated as advice. It cannot be used for any commercial or business purpose. Although we make reasonable efforts to ensure the accuracy of the information in these resources, we make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether express or implied, that the information is accurate, complete, or up to date. We do not exclude or limit in any way our liability where it would be unlawful to do so.
© 2025 Specialists Services Committee
This information may be copied for the purpose of producing information materials. Please quote this original source. If you wish to use part of this information in another publication, suitable acknowledgement must be given and the logos, branding, images, and icons removed. For more information, please contact us at sscbc@doctorsofbc.ca.
SSC. (2025). Getting Ready for Surgery: A Patient’s Guide to Prehabilitation. www.sscbc.ca/patient-prehab-guide