Surgeon Experience and Patient Outcomes in Spine Surgery: A Narrative Review of Tenure, Volume, and Performance.

Abstract

» 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.