Abstract / Summary
Postoperative quality of recovery is a multidimensional process, particularly relevant in very old patients, where functional independence, well-being, and symptom burden are critical. Traditional clinical outcomes may not fully capture the patient’s perspective. The Quality of Recovery questionnaire (QoR-15) offers a structured tool to assess patient-reported recovery. This study aimed to evaluate postoperative recovery in individuals aged 80 years and older undergoing elective surgery in tertiary hospitals in Spain, identifying factors associated with poor recovery and informing patient-centered perioperative care. We will conduct a prospective, multicenter observational study including patients aged ≥ 80 years scheduled for elective surgery requiring hospital admission. Recovery will be assessed using the Spanish version of the QoR-15 (QoR-15E) preoperatively and at multiple postoperative time points. Frailty will be assessed using the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), and sociodemographic, clinical, comorbidity and surgical variables will be collected. Longer-term clinical outcomes, including readmissions and survival, will be assessed during follow-up. Statistical analyses will evaluate changes in QoR-15E scores over time and associations between patient and perioperative characteristics and postoperative recovery, with multivariable analyses used to identify factors independently associated with poor recovery. This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT07505758) on 22/02/2024.