Prehabilitation on a plate: the role of nutrition and nutritional status in the preoperative care
DOI: 10.22591/magyurol.2026.2.makainekocsise.72
Authors:
Makainé Kocsis Eszter1, Molnár Zoé2, Beöthe Tamás dr.3
1Budapesti Péterfy Sándor Utcai Kórház-Rendelőintézet, Központi Dietetikai Szolgálat, Budapest
2Budapesti Péterfy Sándor Utcai Kórház-Rendelőintézet, Központi Gyógytorna Szolgálat, Budapest
3Budapesti Péterfy Sándor Utcai Kórház-Rendelőintézet, Urológiai Osztály, Budapest
Summary
Prehabilitation is a targeted preparation program implemented in the period leading up to surgical procedures, typically involving multiple disciplines – such as dietetics, physical therapy and psychology. Multidisciplinary prehabilitation has been shown to reduce
the incidence of postoperative complications and lead to better patient outcomes by optimizing patients’ physiological reserves.
Malnutrition is an underestimated and often untreated surgical risk factor, despite the fact that it increases the risk of mortality, the rate of complications, length of hospital stay and leads to elevated medical costs. The options for malnutrition risk screening and diagnosis (including the use of validated screening tools and the GLIM criteria) are key components of preoperative assessment and the implementation of necessary interventions.
This article reviews the role of nutrition and nutritional status in preoperative assessment with particular emphasis on the significance of malnutrition and the possibilities of dietary care. Assessing and monitoring nutritional status, providing personalized dietary advice for nutritional and energy intake, and if necessary initiating nutritional therapy provides an opportunity for the patient to undergo surgery in a more favorable general condition.
By combining the tools of exercise, nutrition, and psychological support, prehabilitation complements the elements of the standard patient pathway with a care model that provides effective support for surgical patients – since the success of the procedure is often determined long before the patient enters the operating room.