BACKGROUND

Managing patient expectations is essential in the treatment of patients undergoing spinal surgery. Patient satisfaction is associated with improved clinical outcomes and can be improved when patient and surgeon expectations are aligned and patient preferences are met.

METHODS

Patients presenting to clinic for management of spinal disease were asked to complete a questionnaire assessing demographics, current pain, reason for visit, and expectations and preferences surrounding the clinic experience. Variables were compared with χ tests to determine factors associated with patient expectations. Subsets of new patients and returning patients were compared by the use of matched pair tests. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare means of clinic expectations in patients depending on their level of education.

RESULTS

A total of 240 patients were included. New patient evaluation was the most common reason for evaluation (26.6%), and pain relief was the most common chief concern (39.3%). Patients preferred their surgeon wash their hands in the room instead of before entering (P < 0.001) and wear professional attire over scrubs (P < 0.001). Patients believe their wait time will be longer than it should be (P = 0.002), they will spend longer in clinic than they should (P = 0.03), and they will get less face-to-face time with their surgeon than they should (P < 0.01) but also that the surgeon is not getting paid enough for the clinic visit (P = 0.02).

CONCLUSIONS

Because spine surgery is largely elective, patients often seek treatment to improve quality of life and alleviate subjective symptoms. Understanding patient expectations is critical to ensure that patients and physicians are working toward similar goals.