South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust successfully partners with Surgery Hero to transform patient outcomes from surgery and ease the elective surgery backlog

London, United Kingdom — 25/01/2024 — Surgery Hero, a leader in surgical prehabilitation, is thrilled to announce the publication of a groundbreaking publication in the prestigious BMJ Open Quality. The article, titled "Digital health coaching to improve patient preparedness for elective lower limb arthroplasty: a quality improvement project," presents innovative findings from South Tees NHS Foundation Trust that promise to change how NHS hospitals think about preparing patients for surgery.

The study, led by Professor Gerard Danjoux, evaluates the impact of digitally-enabled prehabilitation on surgical outcomes in patients awaiting hip and knee replacement surgery. Partnering with Surgery Hero, the trust successfully demonstrated that patient education, alongside human health coaching, can support patients to make lifestyle adjustments that contribute to improved surgical outcomes and a better patient experience.

Key highlights of the paper include:

• Reduction in median length of stay from 3 days to 2 days
• Estimated cost-saving of £273 per patient based on average length of stay reduction
• Average patient satisfaction score of 9.3/10
• A statistically significant improvement in patients’ knowledge, confidence and skills in managing their own health (patient activation)
• Higher-risk patients received a substantially greater benefit from participating in the programme

Speaking of his experience of the programme, Mark, 51 years of age who recently underwent a successful total knee replacement stated, “I have lost over 2 stone, I’ve lost 4 inches off my chest — I need a new wardrobe now! I still eat healthily and I don’t drink alcohol. It’s been brilliant for me. It’s a complete and utter change of life.”

Professor Gerard Danjoux expressed enthusiasm about the article's publication, stating, "It’s been a really rewarding project to work on. Our patients have loved the experience and we’ve seen some truly amazing outcomes. It’s a nice reminder of what can be achieved when patients are put at the centre of their care."

Dr Robbie Huddleston, Chief Medical Officer at Surgery Hero, believes this publication could change the way we approach the care of patients awaiting surgery, “For years now we’ve been saying that the key to improving NHS outcomes was to place patients at the centre of their own care. Now, with the support of our tech-empowered human health coaches and colleagues at South Tees NHS Trust, we’re demonstrating what can be achieved when patients are truly empowered to take an active role in managing their own healthcare.”

Surgery Hero is digital clinic for surgery that supports patients to prepare for and recover from surgery at home with the support of expert human health coaches. To read more about this pioneering study, access the link here: https://bmjopenquality.bmj.com/content/bmjqir/12/4/e002244.full.pdf

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For inquiries please contact: communications@surgeryhero.com

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