Abstract

Unchanged Patient Attitude toward Spine Surgery despite about Two Decades of Practice at Tertiary Care Hospital

Objective: Spine surgery carries a risk for the potential complications similar to any other surgical intervention. Our aim in this study to evaluate the patient attitude regarding spine surgeries and to understand the factors that could affect patient choice.

Methods: A cross sectional study of 164 patients who visited King Saud University Medical City (KSUMC) outpatient spine clinic between January to October 2019 and had a surgical pathology. Each patient and his family were counseled regarding the need of the spine surgery and the possible complications. A general demographic questionnaire was used to assess patient response toward surgery and to identify the factors which might influence his decision.

Results: A total of 164 patients were included in this study. Ninety-eight were females and sixty-six were males. Sixty-five (39.6%), agreed to surgery. The remaining ninety-nine (60.4%) didn’t opt surgery for different reasons. Conclusion: Despite that the spine surgery is as safe as any other surgical intervention patients tend to refuse it. We strongly believe that patient education is very important change this negative attitude. Patient’s understanding about the disease if left untreated or inappropriately treated may play a crucial role to make a better decision.

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