A new study published in Spine examines family experiences and potential anxiety about orthopedic referrals after school scoliosis screenings.
The researchers examined data from Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children that track anxiety symptoms and family experiences subsequent to school scoliosis screening referrals. There were 47 patients involved in the study, 27 who were evaluated for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and 27 in the control group.
The researchers found:
1. Children and parents in the patient group experienced significantly elevated levels of state-anxiety at the preappointment when compared with the control group.
2. The group where patients weren't diagnosed with AIS reported a significant decline in state-anxiety.
3. Children and parents in the group where children were diagnosed with AIS continued to report elevated anxiety levels while the control group remained reporting consistently low levels of anxiety.
4. Around 55 percent of the families said they didn't receive information from the school about scoliosis.
5. One-third of the families who received information about scoliosis from the school reported the information didn't address their concerns adequately. But most families reported overall satisfaction with school scoliosis screening, deeming the costs of the SSS referral process as worth the benefits.
"Though challengers of SSS programs were accurate in observing anxiety in families, it may not constitute significant burden to eliminate SSS programs all together," concluded the study authors. "Improvements to the current system may be warranted."