The study authors interviewed 428 patients preoperatively with a 20-item validated survey, which asked patients how much improvement they expect per item. Patients were then asked open-ended questions about how they developed these expectations.
Patients’ average age was 55 years, and 80 percent had degenerative diagnoses and 24 percent previously underwent lumbar surgery.
Patients developed expectations from multiple sources. The most common were:
- Current surgeon: 83 percent
- Internet resources: 55 percent
- Social network contacts: 26 percent
- Other physicians: 22 percent
- Previous experience (for patients who had prior lumbar surgery): 65 percent
The surveyed patients were more likely to cite their surgeon if they had less disability, were treated with conservative care and had symptoms for less than or equal to 12 months. Patients who cited the internet were more likely to be employed, treated with physical therapy, had a negative screen for depression and tended to be younger.
Patients were less likely to expect complete improvement if they had prior lumbar or other orthopedic surgery.
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