Four-hundred patients who completed the Distress and Risk Assessment Method questionnaire were evaluated by physicians. Researchers found that 64 percent of the patients had some level of psychological distress and 22 percent had high levels of distress.
The physicians identified 28.7 percent of patients as having a high level of distress during the clinical impressions with a positive predictive value of 47.2 percent. Nonoperative spine specialists had a sensitivity rate of 41.7 percent versus surgeons who had a sensitivity rate of 19.6 percent.
Read the abstract for “Clinical Impression Versus Standardized Questionaire: The Spinal Surgeon’s Ability to Assess Psychological Distress.”
Read other coverage on spine studies:
– Study: Nonfusion Method for Treating Spinal Fractures Effective for young Patients
– Study: Methadone Reduces Postoperative Pain In Complex Spin Surgery Patients
– Study: Combined Physical Examination Tests Provide Best Likelihood Ratios for Spinal Impingements
