Spine Surgery Patient Navigators (2025-2026)
The Spine Surgery Navigators team worked with patients at Duke Hospital to improve health outcomes for patients undergoing spine surgery.
The team focused on three primary goals:
- Improving patients’ access to and utilization of existing healthcare resources
- Expanding the social support network of patients undergoing spine surgery
- Improving patients’ physical status and mobility in the immediate post-operative period
To improve patients’ use of existing resources, team members developed a comprehensive resource guide that was provided to each patient, including community resources and how to use Duke Health’s patient portal system. Pre-intervention surveys assessed socio- demographic data, barriers to care, psychosocial distress, perceived social support, mobility and patient portal use. Post-intervention surveys helped the team know if their educational materials were useful by assessing patients’ utilization of community resources and the patient portal.
To expand patients’ social support networks, team members met patients before surgery and identified goals of care in conjunction with their spine provider. After surgery, team members followed up with patients until their first post-operative clinic appointment through biweekly phone calls to check in on the patients’ mental and physical health.
To improve physical status and mobility immediately after surgery, team members visited patients in the hospital and assisted them in completing postoperative mobility exercises. Before discharge, team members discussed and demonstrated the recommended mobility exercises for patients to do at home. Data was gathered on outcomes such as length of hospital stay, rates of 30-day infections, blood clots and readmission. The 2025-2026 team provided support to about 60 patients (almost double the volume served during past iterations of this project).
Timing
Summer 2025 – Summer 2026
Team Outputs
Spine Surgery Patient Navigators (Poster presentation at the Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Showcase, April 15, 2026)
Sex Disparities in Postoperative Outcomes Among Patients with Spine Tumors: A Systematic Review. (Submitted to Neurosurgery Practice, Under Review)
Validated Nutritional Screening Tools and Postoperative Outcomes in Adult Spine Surgery: A Systematic Review. (Manuscript in progress)
Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Protocols in Spine Surgery: A Systematic Review." (Manuscript in progress)
The Influence of Psychosocial Factors on Postoperative Functional Recovery Following Spine Surgery. (Manuscript in progress)
Gender Disparities in Post Operative Outcomes Among Patients with Spine Tumors: A Systematic Review. (Poster presentation at Duke Orthopaedic Surgery Research Day; Durham, NC; March, 2026)
Validated Nutritional Screening Tools and Postoperative Outcomes in Adult Spine Surgery: A Systematic Review. (Oral presentation at Duke Orthopaedic Surgery Research Day; Durham, NC; March, 2026)
Objective Nutritional Indices Demonstrate Consistent Associations with Postoperative Outcomes in Adult Spine Surgery: A Systematic Review. (Poster presentation at Duke Orthopaedic Surgery Research Day; Durham, NC; March, 2026)
Validated Nutritional Screening Tools and Postoperative Outcomes in Adult Spine Surgery: A Systematic Review. (Oral presentation at the Duke Neurosurgery Departmental Research Conference; Durham, NC; June, 2026)
Validated Nutritional Screening Tools and Postoperative Outcomes in Adult Spine Surgery: A Systematic Review. (Oral presentation at the NC Spine Society Conference; Raleigh, NC; June, 2026)
See related teams, Spine Surgery Patient Navigators (2024-2025) and Spine Surgery Patient Navigators (2026-2027).