Implementation and challenges of prehabilitation in gastrointestinal oncology: A national cross-sectional survey in France.

Summary: Getting ready for major stomach or intestinal cancer surgery is like training for a marathon. Doctors call this "prehabilitation," and it involves eating better, exercising, and getting mental support before the operation to make recovery easier. A recent survey in France asked 92 medical teams if they use this training program. They found that only about 1 in 5 teams had a set plan in place. Most of those programs focused on diet and exercise, but almost none offered mental health support. The biggest problems stopping hospitals from doing this were not having enough staff, money, or teamwork. Even with these hurdles, doctors agree the program is highly useful for patients. To help more people, hospitals need better rules, more funding, and improved teamwork.