AB135. 176. Feasibility study of the Impact of one preoperative physiotherapy education session and patient information leaflet on patient compliance with physiotherapy after oesophago-gastric cancer resections

Background: Patient engagement is fundamental to postoperative rehabilitation. Patient Information leaflets serve to enhance patient understanding and increase engagement in their post operative care by providing patients and their relatives with important and relevant information. Engaging candidates preoperatively can assist with managing patient expectations and promote patient understanding and participation in decision making. Lack of physiotherapy, or poor engagement can lead to increased morbidity post operatively. Recent evidence suggests that one preoperative 30-minute physiotherapy session within six weeks of surgery may halve the incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications such as atelectasis, respiratory infection and exacerbation of pre-existing lung disease. The current study looked at the effects of a single preoperative physiotherapy education session and provision of a physiotherapy patient information leaflet on patient compliance with physiotherapy in the first days after oesophageal and gastric resection.

Methods: Patients attended a 30-minute education session with the physiotherapist as part of their preoperative out-patient visit. This education session aimed to teach patients the breathing exercises they would be asked to perform in the days after surgery and set goals for mobilisation. Postoperative compliance and engagement with physiotherapy was measured by the number of completed sessions, patient acceptability, measures of post operative morbidity as well as hospital length of stay.

Results: A single preoperative physiotherapy session with a patient information leaflet was feasible and acceptable to patients. It was associated with better engagement with physiotherapy postoperatively.

Conclusions: This was a small pilot study that highlights benefit of the incorporating patient education into all facets of enhanced recovery after surgery programs.

Keywords: Information leaflet; physiotherapy; oesophago-gastric cancer; enhanced recovery after surgery