A new recovery program is getting Canberra patients out of hospital faster and healthier than ever before.
Just ask Wendy Imrie, who went into Canberra Hospital for a blocked carotid artery surgery.
"I woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed thinking, wow that was good!" she said.
The retired teacher was part of Canberra Hospital's Enhanced Recovery After Surgery program, which aims to get patients back on their feet in better shape.
Ms Imrie said the program's preparation helped her recover a lot faster.
"I do feel like it's made a difference, taking that sort of angle of healing and wellbeing."
"When I came in before the surgery they handed me a bag of stuff, and told me to read and drink the carbohydrate drinks."
"I was mostly surprised by the drinks, because I could drink them before the surgery, when normally you have to fast. I thought that was really weird. But they helped."
Canberra Hospital's Enhanced Recovery After Surgery, or ERAS, program has helped more than 1880 patients since it began in February 2021.
It's now been extended to vascular surgeries.
Vascular surgeon Gert Frahm-Jensen said it's about getting patients back to their normal lives more quickly.
"These surgeries are invasive and historically require a lengthy stay in hospital, so with ERAS the aim is to reduce the amount of time patients lie in bed, the time they stay in hospital."
"We want to get patients home as soon as possible, and we want you to not come back with a problem."
The program focuses on getting patients moving before and after surgery, eating a special diet, and keeping them fully informed throughout the process.
Anaesthetist Dr Andrew Deacon, a long-time proponent of the program, said they want to empower patients to play an active role in their recovery
"Previously, if people were staying in hospital for five days for a minor surgery, we would try and get that down to about three days."
"We've had 10 vascular patients go through the program so far, but recovery seems to have improved a lot."
The data tells its own story; for patients that have participated in the program, medical complications have dropped by 33 per cent, and ICU admission rates have halved.
The time patients stay in the hospital has also decreased by two days on average.
The program is open to any patient undergoing one of the listed major surgeries at Canberra Hospital, including colorectal and hysterectomy procedures.
