Exploring factors affecting the implementation of prehabilitation: a descriptive qualitative study from nurses'...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare delivery
• Nursing practice
• Surgical patient care

Background:

• Prehabilitation optimizes preoperative risk factors to enhance surgical outcomes.
• Nurses play a vital role in multidisciplinary teams for effective prehabilitation implementation.
• Understanding nurses' perspectives is crucial for improving prehabilitation programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore factors influencing prehabilitation implementation from the perspective of nurses.
• To identify barriers and facilitators to successful prehabilitation delivery in clinical settings.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study employing in-depth, semi-structured interviews with sixteen nurses.
• Data collected between December 2023 and January 2024.
• Inductive thematic analysis used for data interpretation, adhering to COREQ guidelines.

Main Results:

• Four major themes emerged: interprofessional collaboration, prehabilitation knowledge, organizational support, and availability of equipment and facilities.
• Specific challenges included poor multidisciplinary teamwork, lack of specialist nurse roles, limited training, unstandardized pathways, resource shortages, and IT constraints.
• Subthemes highlighted critical areas needing improvement within the prehabilitation process.

Conclusions:

• This study provides valuable insights into the challenges nurses encounter in prehabilitation delivery.
• Recommendations include developing tailored interventions to enhance collaboration, knowledge, organizational support, and resources.
• Addressing these identified factors is essential for optimizing prehabilitation program quality and patient outcomes.