Nutrition Education in Spine Surgery

Development and Impact of a Nutrition Supplement and Nutrition Education on Patient Acceptance and Outcomes in Spine Surgery

The goal of this interventional study is to learn if having 15 minutes of surgery related nutrition education changes the food choices participants make during the time right before and after a spine surgery in participants who have a surgery with Dr. John Edwards. The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Does nutrition education at a participant's preoperative appointment help them choose healthier foods and drinks that help their recovery from surgery?
• Does choosing to drink some extra nutrients before and after surgery help participants feel better and make it easier to have other foods and liquids after surgery? Researchers will compare participants getting extra education with those in a control group who have normal instructions from the clinic to see if extra education makes a difference in people's food choices. Researchers will also look at how well participants do with the extra nutrition they get before and after surgery, and if choosing to include it changes with the extra education.

Participants will:

• Complete 2 surveys (PROMIS global and food frequency) at both their preoperative and postoperative appointments
• Complete one survey 2 days after their surgery asking about how well they did with liquids and solid foods in the 24 hours after surgery
• Choose whether or not they decide to have a drink with extra nutrients before and after surgery, and let the researchers know what they chose.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adult (18+ years of age)
• Patient of Dr. John Edwards undergoing spine surgery
• Patient is willing and able to complete all study requirements, including any education and follow up appointments

Exclusion Criteria:

• Under 18 years of age or pregnant
• Known allergies or intolerances to any supplement ingredients
• Patients deemed medically unstable by Dr. Edwards
• Patients with uncontrolled diabetes, as identified as Hemoglobin A1C>7.5
• Patients unwilling or unable to complete all study requirements including any education and follow up appointments