Spadework for Establishing Integrative Enhanced Recovery Program after Spine Surgery: Web-based Survey Assessing Korean Medical Doctors’Perspectives (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) is the object of numerous publications within the growing integrative medical domain. However, its value in spine surgery is not as recognized as it is in other surgical domains or in integrative medical fields. OBJECTIVE Our aim was to report the opinions of Korean medical doctors regarding integrative enhanced recovery after spine surgery. METHODS From December 2020 to January 2021, members of the Korean Medical Association were asked to complete an online questionnaire regarding an integrative enhanced recovery program after spine surgery. RESULTS A total of 726 participants responded to the survey. Approximately half of the respondents had more than 10 years of medical experience in the Korean health care system and 58.29% were affiliated with primary Korean medical clinics. The majority of respondents were not aware of the ERAS program (N= 412, 79.08%), but said that patient management would benefit from the establishment of a postoperative medical program that reflected an integrated medical perspective (N=505, 96.92%). Furthermore, according to our results Korean medical professionals believe that Korean medical interventions should play a major role in the pain management and digestive improvement sections of the upcoming postoperative program. Moreover, respondents claimed that Korean medical modalities such as acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, and herbal decoction should be included in the program and should play a significant role. CONCLUSIONS Efforts are necessary to promote postoperative workflow, improve patient management and reduce complications or side effects, particularly those adapted to spinal surgery. Based on our results, a study on the development of a comprehensive postoperative program that reflects the perspectives of patients and conventional medical doctors should be conducted.