The qualitative study involves researchers from the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, University of Keele, UHNM Stoke, the Walton Centre Liverpool and the University of Queensland and will focus on interviewing surgeons and patients to understand the reasoning behind choosing surgery.
Curvature of the spine in adults, also known as adult spinal deformity, is a growing healthcare issue worldwide with more people seeking help for this painful and debilitating problem. Surgery for this problem is a big undertaking with some risk and a long recovery, but it can give people a better quality of life.
Professor Adrian Gardner, Research and Development Director and Consultant Spine Surgeon at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital and lead researcher, comments: “The reasons why adults with spinal deformity seek surgery, and why they do or do not accept it if offered, are not fully understood. It is also not clear for which patients surgeons choose to offer surgery to and why.
“To answer these questions, this research project will involve a series of in-depth interviews, with both patients and surgeons, to investigate the decision making that happens in consultations for adult spinal deformity patients. This work will help to form guidelines to support shared decision making between patients and surgeons and best care practice.”
The study has been funded by the British Scoliosis Society and Scoliosis Support and Research.
