Sufficient explanation of management affects patient satisfaction and the practice of post-treatment management in spinal pain, a multicenter study of 1007 patients

Background: Spinal pain is most common symptom in pain clinic. In most cases, before the treatment of spinal pain, physician explains the patient's disease and treatment. We investigated patient's satisfaction and physician's explanation related to treatments in spinal pain patients by questionnaires. Methods: Anonymous questionnaires about physician's explanation and patient's satisfaction in each treatment and post-treatment management were asked to individuals suffering from spinal pain. Patients who have spinal pain were participated in our survey of nationwide university hospitals in Korea. The relationships between patient's satisfaction and other factors were analyzed. Results: Between June 2016 and August 2016, 1007 patients in 37 university hospitals completed the questionnaire. In the statistical analysis, patient's satisfaction of treatment increased when pain severity was low or received sufficient preceding explanation about nerve block and medication (P < 0.01). Sufficient explanation increased patient's necessity of a post-treatment management and patients' performance rate of post-treatment management (P < 0.01). Conclusions: These results show that sufficient explanation increased patients' satisfaction after nerve block and medication. Sufficient explanation also increased the practice of patients' post-treatment management.