Prehabilitation in metabolic and bariatric surgery: A global overview of scientific literature.

Abstract

Prehabilitation has emerged as a promising strategy to optimise outcomes in metabolic and bariatric surgery; however, scientific output in this field remains limited and fragmented. This study aimed to map and characterise international research on prehabilitation for metabolic and bariatric surgery. A systematic search of eight databases and the grey literature (to March 2025) identified studies in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Bibliometric analyses were used to investigate performance, keyword co-occurrence, and co-citation networks. Thirty-five studies were retrieved, with the number increasing after 2020, predominantly from the United States and Canada, published in 22 journals. Collaboration networks remain incipient. This bibliometric analysis highlights the recent growth of research on prehabilitation in metabolic and bariatric surgery, concentrated in North American institutions, revealing fragmented collaboration and geographical imbalance, while underscoring the need for standardisation, international cooperation, and evaluation of relevant clinical outcomes.