Patient involvement in surgical treatment decisions and satisfaction with the treatment results after lumbar intervertebral discectomy

To evaluate involvement of patients in surgical treatment decision making (STDM) in relations to satisfaction with the results of lumbar discectomy. We evaluated prospectively 150 surgically treated patients with radicular pain due to lumbar disc herniation (LDH). The patients completed self-reported questionnaires about preferences for involvement and actual involvement in STDM. Global satisfaction with the results of the treatment was assessed at 1 year after the operation. Most of the patients (129 patients, 86 %) stated that they had been sufficiently informed about LDH to be involved in the treatment decisions, almost half of the patients (47 %) preferred active or collaborative involvement and 58 % of the patients reported higher actual involvement in STDM. Congruence between preferred and actual roles in decision making was 64 %. Most of the patients (77 %) were satisfied with the results of the operation, but satisfaction was not associated with involvement of patients in STDM. A significant proportion of patients with LDH prefer to be actively involved in treatment decisions and experience an STDM process that matches their preferences for participation. However, individual differences in preferences for involvement in STDM are common and global satisfaction with the treatment results is not significantly related to the activity of involvement in STDM.