Exploring factors affecting the implementation of prehabilitation: a descriptive qualitative study from nurses’ perspective

BACKGROUND: Prehabilitation aims to optimize preoperative risk factors to better prepare the patient for the upcoming surgery. Nurses are an integral part of the multidisciplinary teams and are essential in promoting the effective implementation of prehabilitation. The aim of study was to explore factors affecting the implementation of prehabilitation from nurses' perspective. METHODS: In-depth interviews with semi-structured questions were conducted with sixteen nurses from December 2023 to January 2024. Data were analyzed through an inductive thematic analysis. The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) checklist was used for reporting. RESULTS: Four themes with eight subthemes were identified: interprofessional collaboration (poor collaboration among multidisciplinary teams, lack of specialist nurse role), prehabilitation knowledge (limited prehabilitation training, the unstandardized prehabilitation pathway), organizational support (shortage of professional human resources, lack of hospital-level support), availability of equipment and facilities (medical equipment resource limitations, information technology support constraints). CONCLUSION: This study enhanced our understanding of the challenges in delivering prehabilitation from the nurses' perspective. The findings provided insights into further improving the quality of the prehabilitation programme. Tailored interventions were needed to promote interprofessional collaboration, increase prehabilitation knowledge, enhance organizational support, and address the availability of equipment and facilities, all of which were crucial for the successful delivery of prehabilitation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Not applicable.