Does specialty matter? A survey on 176 Italian neurosurgeons and orthopedic spine surgeons confirms similar competency for common spinal conditions and supports multidisciplinary teams in comprehensive and complex spinal care

Self-perceived surgical competency for common spinal conditions is similar for orthopedic and neurosurgically trained spine surgeons. For less common conditions and clinical scenarios, the combination of both specialties seems to cover better the full spectrum of surgical care for spinal conditions. Multidisciplinary teams and comprehensive, multidisciplinary spinal surgical training should be considered to provide full coverage of spinal pathology.