Need for post-operative outpatient appointments after discharge following cervical spinal surgery - a narrative review

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders

Erik J. van Lindert¹  Karel de Bree¹  Ronald M. H. A. Bartels¹  Femke Atsma²  Gert P. Westert² 

[1] Department of Neurosurgery, Institute for Health Sciences, Radboud University Medical Centre, Postbus 9101, Geert Grooteplein Zuid 10, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands;Scientific Center for Quality of Healthcare, Institute for Health Sciences, Radboud University Medical Centre, Postbus 9101, Geert Grooteplein 21, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands;

关键词: Post-operative;    Outpatient;    Appointment;    Spinal;    Surgery;    Omitting;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12891-020-03624-4

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundIn the Netherlands most patients are currently seen in an outpatient clinic after an anterior cervical discectomy, which is an effective neurosurgical procedure with relatively low rate of severe complications. In this back sight, the need for patients returning to the post-operative outpatient clinic could be questioned. The aim of the study is to evaluate whether a post-operative outpatient appointment after anterior cervical discectomy could be replaced by an alternative or be omitted without adversely impacting, or increasing, the value of healthcare and patient satisfaction for this procedure.MethodsA narrative review was performed to evaluate the quality of care and patient satisfaction for patients with and without a post-operative outpatient appointment after spinal surgery. A literature search of the previous ten years was performed in Pubmed, CENTRAL and EMBASE.ResultsA total of 403 articles were identified. Four studies remained after title and abstract selection by 3 independent reviewers. No papers were selected for further analysis, due to the absence of interventional studies that compared the utility of a post-operative outpatient clinic appointment with an intervention after spinal surgery.ConclusionsCurrently, there is a lack of evidence for the need of a post-operative follow-up after anterior cervical discectomy. Nor is there any literature in favor of omitting these appointments. No determinants which patients benefits from these outpatient appointments could be identified. Potential harmful and beneficial effects of omitting these post-operative follow-ups should be investigated to identify possible determinant for patients who might benefit from a post-operative appointment.

【 授权许可】

CC BY