The role of nursing in enhanced recovery after surgery programs in accordance with spine surgery

Spine surgery is typically having a relationship to high degrees of pain and immobility. It is a known fact that the implementation of an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) approach has led to a paradigm shift in various surgical specialties. These protocols require doctors, nurses, anesthesiologists, patients, and their families to agree to strengthen communication with each other, and involve a long timeline and teamwork from start to finish. To our knowledge, the role of nursing in the ERAS of spine surgery has not been reported before. The purpose of this study is to summarize the role of nursing in ERAS programs in accordance with surgical periods. The methods applied for this review include literature review of the world's acknowledged databases such as Springer Link, PubMed, Embase, and Wanfang, especially in the period of 2000–2015. A total of 9 studies fulfilled the eligibility criteria and were included in the review. The findings confirm that the nursing work continued throughout the perioperative procedure, which plays a key role in the successful ERAS pathway. According to different nursing measures, ERAS nursing can effectively promote the postoperative recovery of spine surgical patients, with fewer postoperative complications and increased patient satisfaction.