Lay summary
Bariatric surgery is the only evidence-based method of treating severe obesity and its comorbidities. Current models of perioperative care in bariatric surgery are primarily led by secondary care services and lack an integrated and standardised prehabilitation component (which is the concept of initiating recovery preoperatively). This project intends to investigate the utility of integrating primary and secondary care services in perioperative management of bariatric surgery using a community-based prehabilitation intervention. An Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) programme will be implemented to create an environment, allowing for evaluation of this unique community-based prehabilitation programme in a randomised controlled trial. This will improve patient recovery after bariatric surgery and create a model of perioperative care which can be used in other types of surgery. The applicant aims to acquire the necessary research skills to help him become an academic general practitioner and advance clinical research in primary care and community health promotion.