The inaugural World Prehabilitation Day: a global call to action

The inaugural World Prehabilitation Day, marked on September 16, 2026, represents an important milestone for a rapidly evolving field. More than 2 decades of research suggest that multimodal prehabilitation can improve functional recovery and reduce postoperative complications in selected populations and settings, although uncertainty remains regarding its effectiveness when implemented broadly in routine care. Closing this gap between efficacy and effectiveness will require precision targeting of high-risk patients, tighter integration of prehabilitation with enhanced recovery after surgery and rehabilitation as a single system of surgical optimisation, and economic and implementation evidence built into research from the outset. Health policy is beginning to respond, but realising this vision at scale, equitably, and beyond cancer surgery alone is the challenge the next decade must address.