A new study published in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine examines the most common misconceptions patients have about spine surgery.
There were 121 patients who completed a multiple choice, six question survey after being referred to a general neurosurgical spine clinic. The responses were gathered over an 11 month period as a quality improvement initiative.
The researchers found:
1. More than half of the patients indicated they would undergo spine surgery if abnormalities were found on their MRI, even if they didn't have symptoms.
2. More than 40 percent of the patients said they would undergo spine surgery if abnormalities were found for plain radiographs.
3. There were 33 percent of the patients who thought spine surgery was more effective than physical therapy for back pain without leg pain.
4. There were 17 percent of the respondents who felt injections were riskier than spine surgery.
5. There wasn't a significant difference in survey responses for patients with a previous history of spine surgery when compared to patients who hadn't undergone spine surgery in the past.
"These results show that a surprisingly high percentage of patients have misconceptions regarding the diagnosis and treatment of lumbar spondylosis, and that these misconceptions persist in patients with a history of spine surgery," concluded the study authors. "Specifically, patients overemphasize the value of radiological studies and have mixed perceptions of the relative risk and effectiveness of surgical intervention compared with more conservative management."
Misconceptions can alter patient satisfaction and have a negative impact on outcomes and physician performance valuation.