| Sumario: | Simple Summary: Patients after brain tumour surgery often experience difficulties with thinking, movement and communication, yet rehabilitation is not typically delivered prior to adjuvant treatment. This study examined outcomes from a novel prehabilitation programme delivered after surgery but before radiation and/or chemotherapy. We reviewed the records of 58 patients with brain tumours who received prehabilitation and compared them to 112 patients in a standard brain injury rehabilitation programme (patients without brain tumours). We found that although patients with brain tumours showed smaller improvements in function, their recovery rate was similar to the comparison group. They also were more likely to have communication impairments and mood difficulties but were less likely to have physical impairments. These results suggest that prehabilitation may be helpful for improving function in patients with brain tumours. However, such programmes may require additional institutional staff resources to better support patients' communication and mental health needs. Patients following brain tumour resection experience significant disability, yet rehabilitation is not typically delivered prior to adjuvant treatment such as radiation or chemotherapy. This study aims to characterize the medical and functional profiles, and function outcomes of patients with brain tumour admitted over the past four years to a pilot inpatient prehabilitation programme following brain tumour resection but prior to adjuvant therapy, and to compare these findings with those of patients in a standard acquired brain injury rehabilitation programme. We retrospectively reviewed the charts from a randomly selected sample of 58 prehabilitation inpatients and 112 patients with acquired brain injuries at Toronto Rehabilitation Institute between March 2020 and December 2024. Data abstracted included demographics, medical and functional profiles, Functional Independence Measure (FIM) scores, and discharge parameters. Compared with acquired brain injury subjects, prehabilitation subjects had significantly less physical (47% vs. 86%, p < 0.0001) but more communication (46% vs. 20%, p = 0.0005) impairments, though with similar mean FIM change (22.5 vs. 26.0, p = 0.082) and FIM efficiency (1.1 vs. 1.0, p = 0.78). While not reaching significance, they also experienced more mood issues during rehabilitation (30% vs. 18%, p = 0.075). These findings support that prehabilitation after brain tumour surgery but before adjuvant therapy is clinically effective within existing ABI rehabilitation programmes. However, prehabilitation programmes may benefit from staffing models that emphasize communication supports and mental health expertise.
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