Better together

Better together

For oncology patients who have undergone abdominal or lung surgery, balanced diet and physical activity are essential for a good recovery. However, it is still unclear what an optimal nutrition and exercise intervention looks like in practice, how interdisciplinary collaboration between dieticians and physiotherapists can be optimised, and how eHealth can best support this. This project aims to develop recommendations, with and for primary care professionals, for the optimal content, delivery and organisation of nutrition and exercise care during the rehabilitation process following oncological abdominal and lung surgery.

This project is a follow-up to the OPRAH project (Optimal Physical Recovery After Hospitalization) and the Better together with AI project.

Research questions

What does the optimal nutrition and physical activity intervention for perioperative care look like during the rehabilitation process after oncological abdominal and lung surgery to promote recovery, and how can eHealth contribute to this?

What is the optimal nutrition and exercise intervention for oncological surgery patients during their rehabilitation process?

How can we optimise interdisciplinary collaboration in primary care between physiotherapists and dietitians during the rehabilitation process of oncological surgery patients?

How can we prepare (future) dietitians and physiotherapists for the healthcare of the future, in which interdisciplinary collaboration and eHealth will play an important role?

Workpackages and planning

Study 1 | 2025-2027

Recommendations will be developed in four phases based on an Evidence-Based Practice methodology.

Phase 1

In the first phase, the final research questions will be formulated, which the recommendations must answer and which the decision model must ultimately support. These questions will be based on:

1. Knowledge gaps in the literature, existing protocols and guidelines;
2. Semi-structured interviews with 25 patients and ten healthcare professionals from a previous study;
3. Two focus groups with secondary care physiotherapists and dieticians who were involved in a previous study on interprofessional collaboration in hospitals;
4. Two focus groups with primary care physiotherapists and dieticians who often support oncology patients during rehabilitation;
5. Discussion with experts during expert meetings.

Phase 2

In the second phase, the research questions identified will be answered on the basis of existing literature, design recommendations will be formulated and a first version of the decision model will be created. A search string will be drawn up for each research question. The literature will be searched in PubMed, among other sources. An effort will be made to use as many systematic reviews as possible to answer the research questions. When systematic reviews are not available, other literature or available protocols or guidelines will be used in consultation with the expert group.

Phase 3

In the third phase, the final recommendations and decision model must be drawn up based on the literature. The selected literature will be scored according to the level of evidence. A draft of the final recommendations and decision model will be presented to the experts during an expert meeting and possibly also via e-mail to gather feedback during the process. This should ultimately lead to the final recommendations and decision model, which will also determine the level of evidence for each recommendation.

Phase 4

During the fourth phase, a third expert meeting will be organised to vote anonymously on the recommendations that have been drawn up. The aim of this is to reach agreement on the recommendations that have been drawn up.

Studie 2 | 2027 – 2028

Based on the results of study 1, an investigation will be conducted into an appropriate implementation strategy for implementing the recommendations in primary care. The process will then be evaluated and optimised.

Methods

• Literature studies
• Interviews
• Expert meetings
• implementation and evaluation studies

Proceeds

Carried out by