Early mobilization following gastro-intestinal and gynecological cancer surgeries: A clinical trial

Abstract

Context: There has been an increase in the incidence of gastrointestinal and gynaecological cancers and advancement in surgeries has made surgical treatment more for these participants more feasible. Aim: To evaluate the effect of structured early mobilization programs in postoperative gastrointestinal and gynaecological cancer patients on 30second chair stand test, functional assessment of cancer therapy-general (FACT-G) and length of hospital stay. Settings and Design: This was a clinical trial conducted at tertiary care hospital on gastrointestinal and gynecological cancer patients. Materials and Methods: Participants diagnosed with gastro-intestinal (n = 23) and gynaecological (n = 17) cancers who underwent surgery were included in the study. Lower extremity strength was assessed using 30 s chair stand test and the quality of life (QOL) was assessed using the FACT-G Scale. Length of hospital stay was noted from the postoperative day 1 till the day of discharge. Statistical Analysis Used: Wilcoxon Test and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient test were used for analysis. Results: Early mobilization program in postoperative gastro-intestinal and gynecological surgery participants showed improvement in the lower extremity strength in terms of 30 s chair stand test (P = 0.001). Moreover, improvements were also observed in the components of QOL viz., physical (P = 0.004), social (P = 0.041) and functional (P = 0.004) components. Conclusion: The study findings demonstrate improvement in lower extremity strength in terms of 30 s chair stand test and QOL according to FACT-G.