Surgeons Least Likely To Prescribe Lower Back Surgery: Study
A recent study on treatment preferences for lower back pain conditions has come out with somewhat unexpected conclusions. It was revealed that orthopedic and neurosurgeons have a lower preference for surgery than patients and family doctors!
The study led by Dr. S. S. Bederman of the University of Toronto presented the same set of hypothetical low back pain scenarios to neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons, family physicians and patients. The parameters in the scenarios included severity, duration and location of pain; neurological symptoms; and lifestyle factors like mobility.
Orthopedic surgeons, closely followed by neurosurgeons, had the lowest preference for surgery. Family physicians had the highest preference, with patient's preference being in the middle of the two groups.
Again, for surgeons the location of the pain was most important determinant, and they preferred surgery when pain was mostly in the legs rather than the back. For family physicians, neurological symptoms, mobility and severity of pain were the most important factors for referring patients for surgery. Quality of life issues like pain severity, duration and mobility were predictably the most important for patients.
The study concludes that possibility of good results is not the general reason for preference for surgery.
The study led by Dr. S. Samuel Bederman at University of Toronto was published in the January issue of the journal Spine .
Dr. Bederman and colleagues hope their findings will help in "aligning" the opinions of patients and doctors, thus improving the shared decision-making process and promoting more accurate patient expectations of the results of surgery. "This can directly result in a significant improvement in patient satisfaction with the healthcare process and even overall health status following treatment," the researchers write.
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