Patients' Values, Perspectives, and Priorities on Outcome Domains for Persistent Spinal Pain Syndrome Type 2: A Focus...

Area of Science:

• Pain Management
• Patient-Reported Outcomes
• Neurology

Background:

• Persistent Spinal Pain Syndrome Type 2 (PSPS-T2) management lacks standardized outcome monitoring.
• Patient perspectives on crucial outcome domains for PSPS-T2 are not well-defined.
• Previous research identified potential patient-relevant outcome domains.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prioritize patient-relevant outcome domains for Persistent Spinal Pain Syndrome Type 2 (PSPS-T2).
• To inform future healthcare evaluations and core outcome set development for PSPS-T2.

Main Methods:

• Four focus groups were conducted with 34 patients diagnosed with PSPS-T2.
• Patients were stratified into groups with and without spinal cord stimulation (SCS) treatment.
• A Nominal Group Technique and qualitative content analysis were used to prioritize outcome domains.

Main Results:

• The top five ranked outcome domains were pain, daily activities, sleep, social participation, and self-reliance.
• Qualitative analysis highlighted pain, physical activities, coping with illness, acceptance, and social participation as key themes.
• Patients desired increased understanding, acknowledgment, and perspective during their care journey.

Conclusions:

• Key outcome domains for PSPS-T2 patients include pain, daily/physical activities, sleep, social participation, self-reliance, coping, and acceptance.
• These prioritized domains should guide future healthcare evaluations for PSPS-T2.
• Further research is necessary to identify appropriate measurement tools for a core outcome set.