This presentation will explore what matters most to consumers and clinicians in the development and delivery of prehabilitation for people preparing for major cancer surgery. Drawing on the Prep-4-Cancer Surgery project, it will describe how consumers, healthcare professionals, and key stakeholders collaborated to co-design an online toolkit to support the implementation of prehabilitation services.
The presentation will highlight the different priorities identified through the co-design process. Clinicians emphasised the need for practical guidance on establishing and adapting prehabilitation programs within local health services, including considerations related to staffing, service models, outcome measurement, behaviour change, and sustainability. Consumers prioritised clear, accessible, and surgery-specific information, practical resources to support preparation for surgery, patient stories, and links to trusted sources of information.
These complementary perspectives informed the development of a website-based resource designed to support both healthcare professionals and patients. The presentation will also share findings from the toolkit evaluation, including feedback on its usability and acceptability, and discuss the value of co-design in developing resources that are both evidence-informed and responsive to user needs. Finally, it will consider future opportunities to expand patient-focused resources, increase accessibility through multilingual content, and extend support to additional cancer treatment pathways.