Pillastrini Paolo, Ferrari Silvano, Albano Angela, Beni Michela, Burbello Ilaria, De Cristofaro Laura, Griffoni Cristiana, Mattarozzi Katia, Nervuti Giuliana, Vanti Carla
Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, 40138, Bologna, Italy.
Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria IRCSS Sant'Orsola-Malpighi, 40138, Bologna, Italy.
Qual Life Res. 2025 Mar;34(3):833-842. doi: 10.1007/s11136-024-03861-3. Epub 2024 Dec 8.
A number of studies have explored patients' subjective experience of waiting for spinal surgery, however, they did so through an investigation conducted post-operatively. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore the experience of patients while still on the waitlist for lumbar spinal arthrodesis.
This qualitative study of semi-structured interviews was conducted at an orthopedic research institute in Italy. The interview track was developed by a team of professionals (physiotherapists, orthopedic surgeon, psychologist) and consisted of 40 questions. Fifteen patients, 10 females and 5 males aged between 23 and 80 years, waiting for spinal arthrodesis were interviewed. The interviews were performed, transcribed and analyzed by the multiprofessional team through thematic analysis using a reflexive approach.
Five main themes were generated: (1) Impact of persistent pain on patients' physical and psychological functioning; (2) Fear of the unknown and uncertainties; (3) Hope and regaining normality; (4) The impact of the unpredictability of the waiting time; (5) Need for better communication and information on the care pathway. Two minor themes were also produced.
These findings highlighted that patients on the waiting list for spinal arthrodesis need more certainty about waiting times, better communication with hospital staff, more thorough information about their care pathway. This could help patients feel more confident and may lead to more adequate expectations before surgery.
The study protocol was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov database on 14/03/2022 with ID number NCT06323694.
许多研究探讨了患者等待脊柱手术的主观体验，然而，这些研究是在术后进行调查的。因此，本研究的目的是探讨患者在等待腰椎脊柱融合手术期间的体验。
这项关于半结构化访谈的定性研究在意大利的一家骨科研究所进行。访谈提纲由一组专业人员（物理治疗师、骨科医生、心理学家）制定，包括40个问题。对15名等待脊柱融合手术的患者进行了访谈，其中10名女性，5名男性，年龄在23至80岁之间。多专业团队通过主题分析和反思性方法对访谈进行了实施、转录和分析。
产生了五个主要主题：（1）持续性疼痛对患者身体和心理功能的影响；（2）对未知和不确定性的恐惧；（3）希望与恢复正常；（4）等待时间不可预测性的影响；（5）需要在护理路径方面进行更好的沟通和提供更多信息。还产生了两个次要主题。
这些发现突出表明，等待脊柱融合手术的患者需要在等待时间方面有更多确定性，与医院工作人员进行更好的沟通，以及获得关于其护理路径的更全面信息。这可以帮助患者感到更有信心，并可能导致在手术前有更合理的期望。
该研究方案于2022年3月14日在ClinicalTrials.gov数据库上注册，注册号为NCT06323694。
