Trends and Focus Areas in Spinal Surgery Nursing: A Comprehensive Bibliometric Analysis

To examine the scientific production, publication trends, conceptual structure, and thematic evolution of nursing-related literature on spinal surgery.

Descriptive bibliometric study.

Bibliographic data were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, and PubMed on May 22, 2026. No language or publication-year restrictions were applied. The search strategy was based on two concept clusters: spinal surgery and nursing. After duplicate removal, eligibility screening, data cleaning, and bibliographic standardization, analyses were performed using Bibliometrix/Biblioshiny and VOSviewer. Publication trends, citation indicators, productive sources, authors, institutions, countries, keyword co-occurrence, thematic mapping, and trend topics were analyzed.

A total of 266 publications published between 1951 and 2026 were included. These publications appeared in 96 sources and involved 786 authors. The annual growth rate was 2.63%, with the highest output recorded in 2023 (n = 19). The United States led in publication output and citation impact. The literature was primarily structured around spinal fusion, nursing, lumbar vertebrae, spinal surgery, scoliosis, patient outcomes, pain, and postoperative care. Nursing assessment, patient education, and the perioperative period emerged as motor themes, while postoperative care, enhanced recovery after surgery, and nursing care represented recent trends.

The spinal surgery nursing literature has evolved toward a patient-centered, outcome-focused, perioperative, and multidisciplinary orientation.

Strengthening evidence-based perioperative assessment, patient education, pain management, postoperative monitoring, complication prevention, discharge planning, and continuity of care may improve recovery, patient safety, functional outcomes, and care coordination.