TY  - JOUR
T1  - Commentary
AU  - Hanley, Edward N.
Y1  - 2001/08/01
N1  - 
JO  - The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery
SP  - 1283
EP  - a
VL  - 83
IS  - 8
N2  - 
Low-back disorders are common and involve complex interactions
among physiologic, psychosocial, and environmental factors. Patients
with lumbar spine problems are often confused by the ill-defined
nature of their condition and the apparent ambiguity in the decision-making
process for both diagnosis and treatment. When referral is made for
consideration of surgical intervention, the ability of a patient
to participate effectively in his or her care is tested. Efforts
to educate patients about their conditions and to permit them to participate
in a shared decision-making process by providing them with valid scientific
information are laudable and would seem likely to influence patient satisfaction
and compliance. In fact, this well-designed and well-executed study
by Deyo and colleagues shows that the majority of patients in both
the video group and the booklet group were satisfied with their
care but that no difference existed between the groups. Symptomatic
and functional improvement was seen in all patient subgroups (herniated
disc, spinal stenosis, and other diagnoses) regardless of the educational
subset. This is expected because the natural history of low-back disorders
is one of improvement despite the method of treatment.

SN  - 0021-9355
M3  - doi: 
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ER  -