Setting Up a Prehabilitation Unit: Successes and Challenges.

OBJECTIVE The goal of this article is to provide a pragmatic approach to implementing a prehabilitation pathway and service guide. DATA SOURCES The article presents data from peer-reviewed scientific articles (ie, reviews and original studies) and narrative reviews, as well as professional insights and experiences of the author in setting up a prehabilitation clinic. CONCLUSION Successful setup of a prehabilitation unit is highly feasible and rewarding, if led by enthusiastic idealists who work in cooperation with a passionate multidisciplinary team (MDT) with clear vision to collectively improve patient outcomes and experiences. It requires a well-integrated MDT to deliver a successful prehabilitation service. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE Nurses are the supporting pillar in many areas of the health care system. The field of prehabilitation is no exception to this with the mainstay contribution nursing provides. A combination of patient care, medical knowledge, and administrative capabilities are required to modify the perioperative pathway and introduce the concept of prehabilitation. Nursing staff are ideally positioned to be strong advocates to developing and delivering an effective MDT prehabilitation clinical pathway