Abstract: Objective To explore the influence of clinical nursing pathway on the operation effect and prognosis of patients with spinal metastases undergoing minimally invasive surgery with small incision and freehand nail placement. Methods From May to December in 2019, 49 patients with spinal metastases underwent minimally invasive surgery with small incision and bare hand nail placement. The control group received routine nursing, while the study group received routine nursing combined with clinical nursing pathway. The operation effect, Visual Analogue Scale/Score （VAS）, and quality of life of the two groups were compared. Results After treatment, the effective rates of operation were 72.0% （study group） and 66.7% （control group）, and the overall effect of the study group was better than that of the control group （P<0.05）. There was no significant difference in VAS score between the two groups before treatment （P>0.05）, and after 2 months of treatment, the VAS score of the study group was lower than that of the control group （P<0.05）. After treatment, the scores of each dimension of quality of life in the two groups were significantly improved compared with those before treatment （P<0.05）, and the scores of social function and other dimensions in the study group were higher than those in the control group （P<0.05）. Conclusion Clinical nursing pathway can ensure the effect of surgery, reduce postoperative pain, and improve the overall quality of life of patients.

Key words: Spinal diseases, Resection of metastatic tumor, Minimally invasive, Nursing