Abstract
There is a paucity of information regarding patient rated expectations of surgery and measures of satisfaction with surgery in terms of specific outcome measures such as pain. The aim of this study was to investigate patient expectations of surgery and short and long term satisfaction with the outcome of decompressive surgery in terms of pain, function, disability, general health.
Eighty-four patients undergoing spinal stenosis surgery were recruited into this study. On recruitment into the study patients were also asked to rate their expectations of improved in pain, general health, function etc. In addition at each review stage patients were asked to rate their satisfaction in improvement of these key outcome measures.
These demonstrated that patients had very high expectations of recovery particularly in terms of pain and function and that patients were confident of achieving this recovery (76.8%) confident of a good result. Levels of satisfaction however, varied considerably. 41% of subjects were 50% satisfied with the outcome, whilst 30% were dissatisfied. Most patients felt that they had made the right decision to have surgery although the surgery had only achieved 43.4% ± 37.8 of the outcome they had expected.
Examination of patient’s expectations of and satisfaction with surgery revealed that frequently patients had unrealistic expectations of their surgery and as a consequence tended to have lower levels of satisfaction.
The abstracts were prepared by Dr C Pither. Correspondence should be addressed to him at the British Orthopaedic Association, Royal College of Surgeons, 35–43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PN
