Abstract: Introduction: Vitamin D deficiency has emerged as a significant concern in hospitalized patients, potentially influencing post-operative recovery outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among hospitalized patients and investigate its association with post-operative recovery outcomes in a tertiary care hospital.

Methods: A prospective observational cohort study was conducted over six months, involving 422 adult patients scheduled for elective surgery. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were measured preoperatively, and patients were monitored for post-operative outcomes including length of hospital stay, wound healing complications, pain scores, analgesic requirements, and functional recovery parameters. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 26.0, with significance set at p<0.05.

Results: The study revealed a high prevalence (66.8%) of vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/mL) among participants. Vitamin D-deficient patients demonstrated significantly longer hospital stays (8.4 ± 2.6 vs 5.2 ± 1.8 days, p<0.001), higher wound healing complications (27% vs 10.4%, p<0.001), and increased pain scores compared to vitamin D-sufficient patients. Quality of Recovery (QoR-15) scores were consistently lower in deficient patients across all time points. Additionally, vitamin D-deficient patients required higher analgesic doses (28.4 ± 8.6 vs 18.2 ± 6.4 mg/day, p<0.001) and showed delayed functional recovery parameters.

Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency significantly impacts post-operative recovery outcomes, suggesting the potential benefit of routine preoperative vitamin D screening and optimization. These findings emphasize the need for implementing standardized protocols for vitamin D assessment and supplementation in surgical patients.