Does a Multidisciplinary Triage Pathway Facilitate Better Outcomes After Spine Surgery?

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Neurosurgery
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Multidisciplinary spine pathways aim to improve care quality, patient satisfaction, and resource use for low back pain.
• Limited comparative data exists on the surgical outcomes of these pathways.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare elective lumbar spine surgery outcomes between patients managed via a multidisciplinary spine pathway and those using conventional referral processes.

Main Methods:

• A single-center prospective non-randomized matched cohort study compared 150 patients (75 per group) undergoing elective lumbar surgery.
• Outcomes included Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) pain scores, and EuroQol 5-Dimension (EQ-5D) at 1-year follow-up.

Main Results:

• The spine pathway group experienced significantly shorter MRI wait times (16.8 vs. 63.0 days).
• Pathway patients were more likely to utilize nonoperative treatments and reported higher preoperative satisfaction.
• No significant differences were observed in surgical outcomes or wait times for surgeon consultation or surgery.

Conclusions:

• The spine pathway effectively reduces diagnostic imaging wait times and encourages conservative management.
• While preoperative patient satisfaction is enhanced, the pathway does not significantly alter postoperative surgical outcomes compared to conventional referrals.