Maximizing patient adherence to prehabilitation: what do the patients say?

Purpose Multimodal prehabilitation programs (exercise, nutrition, and anxiety reduction) have been shown to be successful for enhancing patients' physical function prior to surgery, although adherence remains a challenge. Given the short pre-operative period, maintaining adherence is critical to maximize program effectiveness. This study was designed to better understand patients' perspectives of prehabilitation and to identify factors related to program adherence.

Methods A qualitative descriptive study was conducted based on 52 cancer patients enrolled in a prehabilitation program at the Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, Canada. Data was collected with a structured questionnaire designed to evaluate the program.

Results Patients enjoyed their experience in prehabilitation, especially the exercise program and training sessions. The primary motivating factor for participation was to be physically prepared for the surgery. The most challenging exercise component was resistance training, while the most enjoyed was the aerobic training. Approximately 50% of patients were interested in group fitness classes as opposed to supervised individual training sessions for reasons related to social support. The preferred methods for exercise program delivery were home-based and one supervised exercise session per week. The biggest barrier to participation was related to transportation.

Conclusions These findings highlight the need to make prehabilitation programs more patient-centered. This is critical when designing more effective therapeutic strategies tailored to meet patients' specific needs while overcoming program non-adherence.