Getting patients ready for major operations involves more than just showing up at the hospital. It means boosting fitness, nutrition, and mental strength beforehand. This approach is called prehabilitation. In Austria, though, it barely exists in everyday care. Most clinics skip it entirely. That leaves many people facing surgery without the best possible foundation.
A recent study talked to eight experts from different corners of healthcare. They included anesthesiologists, surgeons, a heart specialist, a psychologist, a physiotherapist, and someone from insurance. All agreed the idea makes sense. Yet their actual knowledge about how to do it varied a lot. Some knew plenty. Others had only heard the term. That gap shows how far the concept still has to travel.
The biggest roadblocks are