New Approaches to the Treatment of Severe Obesity-Prehabilitation as the Key to Success.

Abstract

Purpose of review: Bariatric surgery (BS) has emerged as a crucial and effective treatment for severe obesity (SO), providing significant and sustained weight loss and improving comorbidities. Optimizing perioperative careparticularly through structured prehabilitation is crucial for improving surgical outcomes and long-term weight management. This review examines the role of prehabilitation, nutrition, psychological support, physical activity, and pharmacologic treatment in improving the effectiveness of BS.

Recent findings: Despite the benefits of prehabilitation, there are significant differences in the way it is implemented in different healthcare centers. Protocols vary widely in terms of duration, components and intensity, leading to inconsistencies in patient preparation and postoperative recovery. Many patients still do not receive multidisciplinary support from dietitians, psychologists or physiotherapists prior to surgery, which can affect long-term outcomes. Barriers to effective prehabilitation include a lack of standardized guidelines, insufficient healthcare resources and limited patient adherence due to lack of awareness, low motivation or logistical constraints. Despite its proven benefits, structured prehabilitation lasting at least 3-6 months is not available to all patients, as access remains unequal and suboptimal in many healthcare settings. Prehabilitation is an important but underutilized component of BS preparation. Standardizing protocols and ensuring multidisciplinary, patient-centered support are essential to maximizing surgical benefit. Overcoming barriers such as healthcare system limitations, patient motivation and knowledge gaps is critical to integrating prehabilitation into routine bariatric care. This review emphasizes the need for evidence-based, multimodal prehabilitation strategies to improve perioperative care and long-term outcomes for BS patients.