Surgeon Experience and Patient Outcomes in Spine Surgery

» Surgeon experience is a well-recognized determinant of patient outcomes, with greater experience associated with lower complication rates, improved efficiency, and better patient recovery. » Experience has variable definitions across studies, including total or annual case volume, years in practice, surgeon age, and fellowship completion. » Surgeon case volume reflects procedural repetition, and tenure encompasses judgment and decision-making that develops over time. Both independently contribute to patient outcomes. » It is unclear whether surgeon subspecialty or age has an impact on objective outcomes, suggesting that experience and case volume are more reliable indicators of performance. » Significant gaps remain in the literature, including inconsistent definitions, limited longitudinal data, a lack of statistically significant preliminary results, and an overrepresentation of complex academic cases.