Evidence mapPaperPMID 41933346Full record

ArticleBMC nursing2026

Interventions supporting cognitive recovery after surgery: a scoping review.

Amina Guenna Holmgren, Ulrica Nilsson, Jeanette Eckerblad, Markus Saarijärvi, Agnieszka Kedzierska, Lina Bergman, Carolin Nymark

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC nursing, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Amina Guenna HolmgrenDepartment of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Alfred Nobels Allé 23, C3 | 141 83, Huddinge, Sweden. amina.guenna.holmgren@ki.se.
Ulrica NilssonDepartment of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Alfred Nobels Allé 23, C3 | 141 83, Huddinge, Sweden.
Jeanette EckerbladDepartment of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Alfred Nobels Allé 23, C3 | 141 83, Huddinge, Sweden.
Markus SaarijärviDepartment of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Alfred Nobels Allé 23, C3 | 141 83, Huddinge, Sweden.
Agnieszka KedzierskaDepartment of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Alfred Nobels Allé 23, C3 | 141 83, Huddinge, Sweden.
Lina BergmanDepartment of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Alfred Nobels Allé 23, C3 | 141 83, Huddinge, Sweden.
Carolin NymarkDepartment of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Alfred Nobels Allé 23, C3 | 141 83, Huddinge, Sweden.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe consequences of postoperative cognitive decline have a significant impact on the lives of those affected. These individuals often experience cognitive and emotional difficulties, including disorientation, forgetfulness, fatigue, and slowed processing, which can reduce independence and overall autonomy. This necessitates identifying effective interventions to support postoperative cognitive recovery that are suitable for implementation within the healthcare system.

aimTo summarize the literature on interventions that support postoperative cognitive recovery following hospital discharge.

methodsA scoping review was conducted using an iterative approach on 2 February 2025, with two updated searches performed on 16 April 2025 and 17 October 2025. Searches were done in three databases (Medline via Ovid, PsycInfo and CINAHL). Eligibility criteria were limited to quantitative studies of participants (≥ 18 years) undergoing surgery, focusing on interventions. Eligible studies had to report at least one cognitive outcome measure. Reporting adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR).

resultsThe scoping review included 21 studies (n = 2563 participants) evaluating three types of interventions: cognitive training (n = 12), multimodal interventions (n = 7) and physical activity (n = 2). The duration and timing of the interventions varied considerably both within and between intervention types. All studies utilised some form of neurocognitive test to assess cognition. Of 12 studies on cognitive training, three reported positive effects, and two of seven multimodal interventions also showed positive results. Among the studies focused on physical activity, one of the two demonstrated a positive effect.

conclusionsThis review indicates that current evidence is insufficient to support interventions that improve postoperative cognitive recovery; the evidence base remains fragmented and lacks strong theoretical grounding. Future research should prioritise standardised outcome measures, robust conceptual frameworks, and large-scale, methodologically rigorous trials to strengthen the evidence base and inform clinical practice. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.

Indexed as

Cognitive complicationsCognitive trainingMultimodal interventionsPhysical activityPostoperativeScoping review

Identifiers

PMID41933346
PMCPMC13063448

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.