A new study published in Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine outlined a predictive model for 12-month postoperative pain, disability and quality of life for patients receiving elective lumbar spine surgery.
The study included 7,618 patients. Researchers gathered 12-month patient-reported outcomes, regarding Oswestry Disability Index, EQ-5D and numeric rating scale for back and leg pain. Researchers leveraged the Quality Outcomes Database to create the predictive model.
Here are four observations:
1. At 12 months, researchers found a notable improvement in all patient-reported outcomes.
2. Researchers identified the following as the greatest predictors of overall disability, quality of life and patient outcomes:
• Employment status
• Baseline numeric rating scale-back pain scores
• Psychological distress
• Baseline ODI scores
• Education level
• Workers' compensation
• Symptom duration
• Race
• Baseline numeric rating scale-leg pain scores
• American Society of Anesthesiologists score
• Age
• Predominant symptom
• Smoking status
• Insurance status
3. Researchers concluded, "preoperative patient-specific factors derived from a prospective national outcomes registry significantly influence PRO measures of treatment effectiveness at 12 months after lumbar surgery."
4. Predictive models will allow ideal patient selection and identification of modifiable factors prior to surgery, allowing for more effective spine surgeries.