A new study published in Clinical Spine Surgery examines the criteria in patient selection of orthopedic spine and neurospine surgeons.
Researchers administered an anonymous 26-question questionnaire to 644 patients seeking treatment from a neurosurgeon or orthopedic spine surgeon at a single institution. Six questions asked the patient to rate specific spine surgeon selection and six were multiple choice asking patients about their preferences. Study authors found:
1. Both patients who selected orthopedic spine and those who selected neurosurgeons felt these three factors were the most important:
• Board certification
• In-network provider status
• Bedside manner
2. Almost all — 82.74 percent — of the neurosurgery patients and 48.81 percent of the orthopedic surgery patients said they preferred a surgeon trained in neurosurgery.
3. Patient autonomy is growing in the healthcare system, and surgeons may find it helpful to identify preferences in physician selection. "Board certification, in-network status and bedside manner may be the most influential factors for patients in spine surgeon selective irrespective of specialty," concluded the study authors.
4. The study can provide a framework to improve patient recruitment and selection.