ALERT CONTENT PLACEHOLDER

About Us

Location

Toronto General Hospital
Gerrard Wing – 1st Floor, Room 544​

Contact

Phone: 416 340 4645

Referral Fax: 416 340 5363

Email: prehabilitation@uhn.ca


Hours

Monday – Friday
8:30 am – 4:3​0 pm

Location

Contact

Hours

Location

Contact

Hours

Location

Contact

Hours


Referrals

Referrals to the Prehabilitation Program can be made by any health professionals (directly or via their administrative support team) within a patient's circle of care. Complete referrals may be emailed or faxed to 416 340 5363​. Our office will call the patient directly with information about the program and to book appointments.

The Prehabilitation Program accept referrals for patients who are scheduled for major surgery, are 18 years of age or older; and have indication for pre-operative optimization as per the referring healthcare team's clinical impression (e.g., higher-than-average risk candidate; marginal candidate for surgery due to limited physiologic reserve; frail; deconditioned; or 'other' with explanation).

Referring health care professionals will be asked to provide identifying information of the patient including name, MRN, and telephone number. The date of referral, diagnosis, prior treatments and estimated surgery date are to be provided at the time of referral. In addition, the reason for referral must be indicated (e.g., frailty, elevated risk for complications, low fitness, or other reason with explanation). Other clinical information provided at the time of referral includes assessment of the patient's frailty using the Clinical Frailty Scale (on the back of the referral) and any other relevant clinical information the referring healthcare professional wishes to provide.


Please note that clinic appointments may be virtual visits. The clinic team will let you know what type of appointment is appropriate for your care. Learn more about virtual visits at UHN »

What We Do

Prehabilitation Program logo  

The Prehabilitation Program aims to optimize health prior to surgery to create physiologic and psychosocial resilience to protect against stress, deconditioning, complications, and chronic morbidity that may occur as a result of surgery. At the patient's first visit, they will be seen by a prehab program team member who will assess mobility, fitness, and overall health. They will then receive individualized prehab programming that may include exercise, nutritional support, psychosocial support, education, smoking cessation support, and/or medical care. Prehab sessions may occur at home (by phone or virtually) or in our clinic. The prehab team may communicate with other surgical and medical health professionals in the patient's circle of care to ensure that programming is appropriate to their condition and expected outcomes.

Tests/Services

The following assessments may be included for prehab program patients:

  • Body Composition
  • Musculoskeletal Strength
  • Cardiorespiratory Fitness
  • Dietary and nutrition assessment
  • Psychoeducation assessment
  • Other medical tests as indicated by the prehab physician

Depending on the patients' needs, prehab services may include:

  • An individualized exercise and physical activity prescription
  • Nutrition guidance (with or without dietary supplementation)
  • Psychoeducation and behavioural counselling
  • Smoking cessation support
  • Medical care

How to Prepare

The prehab team will provide patients with information on how to prepare for specific prehab appointments.

For initial assessments, it is helpful for patients to bring:

  • List of all medications you are taking, including prescriptions, over-the-counter, vitamins or mineral supplements and herbal remedies.
  • Medications that you need to take during the day.
  • Notes about any changes in your condition since your last visit.
  • A trusted friend or family member who can give you emotional support and help you.
  • A list of doctors and hospitals you've seen in the past who may have information about your treatment.

For exercise testing or training sessions, patients should arrive in comfortable clothing and footwear that do not restrict your movement. This will make exercising easier. If you use a walking aid such as a cane or walker, please bring this to your appointment. It is also advised that you bring a bottle of water to stay hydrated during any exercise sessions. Bottles can be re-filled on-site.

For consultations with the dietitian or psychologist, a record or log of food or behaviours or emotions may be requested.

Learn more about what you can expect when you have a clinic appointment.​​

Health Information

Materials and Resources to Help You

Resources from the Prehabilitation Program 


Resources from the Patient & Family Education Program

Visit our Health Information section to find dedicated resources to help you understand your condition. Find the information you're looking for.​

Prehabilitation Education Sessions

Prehabilitation Education Sessions

Who is this for?

Our education sessions are for anyone who expects to undergo surgery at UHN.

What will I learn?

In these sessions you will learn what prehabilitation is, why prehabilitation is important, how to engage in prehabilitation and where to find other prehabilitation resources.

Where and when do the sessions take place?

The prehabilitation education sessions take place virtually (online) using an electronic device with access to the internet and capable of launching Microsoft Teams.

The 2024 schedule for the education sessions is:

Session # Date Time
1 Friday, March 22, 2024 9:30 am
2 Friday, April 26, 2024 9:30 am
3 Friday, May 31, 2024 9:30 am
4 Friday, June 28, 2024 9:30 am
5 Friday, July 26, 2024 9:30 am
6 Wednesday, August 14, 2024 9:30 am
7 Friday, September 27, 2024 9:30 am
8 Friday, October 25, 2024 9:30 am
9 Friday, November 29, 2024 9:30 am
10 Friday, December 20, 2024 9:30 am

How do I register?

To register, please email prehabilitation@uhn.ca and provide your full name, UHN MRN (medical record number) and the date of the session you would like to attend.

Once you are registered, you will receive a link to the meeting for the date that you have selected.

I still have questions.

If you have any questions about the prehabilitation education sessions or the UHN Prehabilitation Program, please contact prehabilitation@uhn.ca.​

Our Team

Meet Our Team

Medical Director / Co-Director: Dr. Ian Randall, MD MPH
Email: ian.randall@uhn.ca

Co-Director: Dr. Daniel Santa Mina, RKin CSEP-CEP, PhD
Email: daniel.santamina@uhn.ca

Clinical Coordinator

Darren Au, RKin, MSc
Email: darren.au@uhn.ca

Physicians

Dr. Ian Randall
Email: ian.randall@uhn.ca

Dr. Daniel Sellers
Email: daniel.sellers@uhn.ca

Psychologist

Dr. Andrew Matthew, PhD, C.Psych
Email: andrew.matthew@uhn.ca

Registered Dietitian

Calvin Mach, MPH, RD
Email: calvin.mach2@uhn.ca

Registered Kinesiologists

  • Darren Au
  • Maggie Chen
  • Joan Escandell Paradela
  • Daniel Sibley

Administrative Assistant

  • Bailey Hill​
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