University of Auckland researcher Dr Marta Seretny is looking for women to help design a prehabilitation progamme of supportive care between breast cancer diagnosis and surgery. Prehabilitation programmes involve exercise, nutrition and psychological advice so that patients can prepare physically and mentally for their treatment. Prehabilitation has been shown to boost physical function, reduce complications, shorten hospital stays, and improve recovery.
Dr Seretny’s study will bring together women with a recent lived experience of breast cancer and healthcare professionals to co-design a prehabilitation programme for women in Aotearoa. The study involves up to four sessions of 2-3 hours each, at a local venue or via Zoom, and there is a $50 koha per session for volunteers.
If you have completed your breast cancer treatment within the last two years, and you’d like to help design a prehabilitation programme to help others prepare for their surgery and treatment, please contact prehabresearch@auckland.ac.nz for further details.
