Effects of a WhatsApp-assisted Prehabilitation for Patient Undergoing Elective Colorectal Cancer Surgery

Colorectal cancer ranks the second most prevalent forms of cancer in Hong Kong and surgery is still the primary curative option. Although compromising result of shorten general length of stay (LOS) in enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol is illustrated, surgical complications such as postoperative ileus (POI) remain unresolved and significant burden associated leads to suboptimal patients' outcomes of prolonged LOS and physical deconditioning with extended rehabilitation. Prehabilitation refers to optimization in a single or multi-disciplinary approach of exercises training, nutritional therapy and psychological counselling, improves physical fitness, strengthens cardiopulmonary function and reduce mental distress through lifestyle modification and better physiological reserve. However, the concept of educations in form of preoperative exercises and nutritional counselling outweighs the purposes of actual prehabilitation and short-handed allied health professionals limited accessibility of regular out-patient counselling in the current clinical practices. Consequently, poor adherence to these preoperative trainings may result in to poor surgical outcomes.

A single with assessor-blinded, double-armed randomised controlled trial study with a prior pilot will be employed to examine the feasibility and effects of a technology-assisted prehabilitation for patients with colorectal cancer surgery. Outcomes of postoperative complications, LOS, physical activity, nutritional status, gastrointestinal recovery and psychological well-being will be evaluated. Elective colorectal cancer surgery patient will be invited to participated in this study.

The result will provide insights of the use of digital approach. To our knowledge, this is the very first trial of digital prehabilitation for CRC patients in Hong Kong public hospitals. Therefore, it provides positive contribution and acts as an important quality benchmark for patients' outcomes. The findings will also generate knowledge on the optimalization of care provided to CRC patients prior to surgery and assist to develop a structured and effective health system in our community. This innovation may have implications to other research studies and extends the potential clinical practices to related subspecialities such as gastric cancer.

• Length of hospital stay (LOS) [Срок оценки: Postoperative period: assessed up to the first year postoperative]
• Physical activity [Срок оценки: Assessments at baseline, weekly before the surgery and on the day of discharge: assess up to first year postoperative]
• Gastrointestinal recovery [Срок оценки: Postoperative period: assessed up to 30 days postoperative]
• Gastrointestinal function [Срок оценки: Postoperative period: assess up to 30 days postoperative]
• Anxiety and depression [Срок оценки: Assessments at baseline and on the day of discharge: assess up to first year postoperative]
• Quality of health-related life [Срок оценки: Assessments at baseline and on the day of discharge: assess up to first year postoperative]