Propuesta de programa de prehabilitación neuropsicológica para candidatos a cirugía por epilepsia farmacorresistente

Objective: to design a neuropsychological prehabilitation program to improve cognitive functions in candidates for surgical treatment for drug-resistant epilepsy. Method: technological development research (I+D+i) at the Department of Neuropsychology of the International Center for Neurological Restoration (CIREN) in 2022. Two stages were carried out: 1. design of the neuropsychological prehabilitation program; and 2. validation of the program's relevance by experts. The design was based on a neuropsychological characterization of 29 patients with drug-resistant epilepsy, the perceived and actual needs of 10 patients with a similar diagnosis, and the strategic needs reported by 5 healthcare professionals (study in progress). The relevance of the neuropsychological prehabilitation program was validated using the criteria of five experts, and the Content Validity Coefficient (CVC) was calculated. A mixed-methods approach using qualitative and quantitative techniques was used. Results: the program design demonstrated 90% comprehensiveness, with feasibility tailored to hospital settings (consisting of 17 treatment sessions of approximately 1.5 hours each, delivered five times a week, Monday through Friday). It includes a replicable protocol and assessment and treatment mechanisms adapted to the Cuban context. It has an individual and group approach, using dynamic, participatory cognitive stimulation techniques. The average expert opinion score was 3 (maximum) for the basic foundation, methodology, needs, expectations, resources, and feasibility. The experts' CVC was 0.99. Conclusions: the prehabilitation program designed and proposed for its application in the institution, shows to be a robust and practical methodological design given its comprehensiveness, contextualized feasibility, efficiency in the use of resources, replicability, locally adjusted mechanisms, combined approach, and active methodology, validated by experts who considered that the program is relevant for its application to patients with drug-resistant epilepsy.