The Effect of Nurse-Led Transitional Care on Rehabilitation Outcomes in Patients With Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

ObjectiveThis study examined whether documented receipt of nurse-led transitional care (NTC) was associated with postdischarge rehabilitation outcomes in patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH).MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study of 134 patients with LDH who received conservative treatment between February 2022 and March 2025. Patients were classified as NTC or routine care (RC) according to the documented postdischarge nursing pathway. Outcomes included VAS, ODI, SF-36, ESCA, and GS at baseline and at 1, 2, and 3 months. Longitudinal changes were evaluated using generalized estimating equations, and 3-month outcomes were examined with multivariable linear regression adjusted for age, sex, length of hospital stay, follow-up duration, and the corresponding baseline score. A propensity score-matched sensitivity analysis was also performed.ResultsBaseline characteristics were comparable between groups. In unadjusted analyses, the NTC cohort showed lower VAS and ODI scores and higher SF-36, ESCA, and GS scores than the RC cohort at all follow-up points (all p p = 0.012) and for ODI, SF-36, ESCA, and GS (all p p ConclusionIn this retrospective cohort, documented receipt of NTC was associated with better early postdischarge rehabilitation outcomes in patients with LDH. The overall pattern remained robust in adjusted, sensitivity, and propensity score-matched analyses, although prospective studies are still needed to address residual confounding.