Welcome to Better Surgery

Duncan Birse
Jan 10
3 min read

Updated: 6 days ago

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’re preparing for an operation — or supporting someone who is.

First of all, welcome. You’re in the right place.

Better Surgery was created because, after many years working as a doctor in anaesthetics and intensive care, one thing became very clear to me: people who feel informed, prepared, and supported are more likely to recover well.

Why I Started Better Surgery

In my day-to-day work, I’ve met thousands of patients before, during, and after surgery. I’ve looked after people who were calm and confident, and people who were understandably anxious, overwhelmed, or unsure what lay ahead.

Over time, it became clear to me that patients who were better prepared — both physically and mentally — were more likely to:

Have smoother recoveries
Experience fewer complications
Feel more confident and motivated to engage with rehabilitation

The frustrating part for me, as an anaesthetist, is that I usually meet patients for the first time on the morning of their operation.

At that point, I can make sure they receive the safest and most appropriate anaesthetic, and I can guide them through the immediate recovery period — but by then, many of the opportunities to prepare have already passed.

I wanted to be able to help earlier.

That’s where Better Surgery comes in.

What Do We Mean By ‘Better Prepared’?

Preparing for surgery isn’t about being perfect, ultra-fit, or doing everything “perfectly”.

For most people, it starts with something much simpler – having the information that you need, in a form that actually makes sense.

When you understand what an operation involves, what to expect in hospital and what recovery usually looks like you tend to feel more in control, more confident to ask questions and more able to take an active role in your recovery.

Information doesn’t remove uncertainty completely — but it does reduce fear of the unknown.

And confidence matters.

Introducing Prehabilitation

As well as improving your understanding and confidence, it’s also really important to prepare your body and mind for an operation. In fact, the two go hand in hand — the fitter and more mentally prepared you are, the more confident you’re likely to feel about recovery.

Prehabilitation means preparing your body and mind before surgery, rather than waiting until afterwards to start recovery.

It recognises that surgery places a significant demand on the body, and that people who are better prepared beforehand often cope better with that stress.

Prehabilitation isn’t about intense training programmes or pushing through pain. Instead, it focuses on achievable, practical steps such as:

Staying as active as you safely can
Eating well to support healing
Stopping smoking and reducing alcohol intake
Making sure long-term health conditions are well controlled

We’ll explore prehabilitation in much more detail in a future article, but it sits at the heart of everything Better Surgery is built around.

How Does Better Surgery Help?

Better Surgery was created to complement, not replace, the care you receive from your local healthcare team.

We know clinic appointments can feel rushed, and it’s hard to take in lots of information at once. A Better Surgery course allows you to work through information at your own pace — and revisit it whenever you need to.

Each course is:

Expert-led, involving clinicians who work with surgical patients every day
Specific, tailored to particular operations rather than generic advice
Practical, focusing on what actually helps
Engaging, using short, clear videos and downloadable resources

The aim isn’t to overload you with information. It’s to help you feel informed, confident, and supported, step by step.