A new study published in Spine examines whether low back pain patients can achieve satisfaction with less treatment than expected.
The study authors examined 609 patients on their satisfaction with treatment using the Pain Disability Index. The researchers found:
1. The correlations between the expected and baseline disability, pain intensity and pain duration were low.
2. There was a low correlation between "treatment success" and the patient's satisfaction with care.
3. Slightly more than half — 51.4 percent — of the patients reported satisfaction with their care, even if the treatment wasn't deemed successful.
4. When the treatment was successful, the odds of being satisfied were 2.42 when compared with unsuccessful treatment.
5. The study authors concluded the PDI-expectancy was internally consistent. Patients who considered treatment successful had a 1.38 to 4.24 times higher chance of being satisfied after treatment.