Implementing Evidence-Based Humanistic Care in Neurosurgery: A Pragmatic Study of the “Special Touches” Model for Enhancing Patient Experience

To evaluate the effectiveness of “Special Touches”—a theory-driven humanistic care intervention designed to enhance neurosurgical patient experience.This pragmatic quasi-experimental before-and-after study was conducted in a neurosurgical unit in a large tertiary hospital from February 2023 to February 2025. 847 patients (423 pre-, 424 post-intervention) aged ≥2 years with ≥48-hour stays participated. The two-component intervention based on Picker Institute’s Eight Dimensions included: (1) “Six-Point Beyond Care Initiative” (wish wall, wish bottle, personalized balloon gifts, etc); (2) “Micro-Heart Services” (WeChat-based communication platform). Primary outcomes: patient satisfaction (HCAHPS-adapted) and loyalty (Net Promoter Score). Secondary outcomes: anxiety (HADS), treatment compliance, quality of life (EQ-5D), and cost-effectiveness.Patient satisfaction increased significantly from 78.5±6.8% to 92.1±3.8% (difference 13.6%, p<0.001, Cohen’s d=2.31). Patient loyalty improved by 7.4 points (p<0.001). Pediatric patients showed 78.6% anxiety reduction versus 28.6% in controls (p<0.001). Cost was $0.37 per quality-adjusted satisfaction point. Multivariate analysis confirmed intervention effectiveness (OR: 2.84, p<0.001). Implementation fidelity remained high (94.2%) with sustained 12-month effects.This evidence-based intervention provides a standardized, flexible model for improving neurosurgical patient experience with strong clinical and economic benefits.