Assessing the Quality of Telephone Follow-Up After Spine Surgery

Recruiting

• Conditions: Low Back Pain

• Registration Number: NCT07173413
• Lead Sponsor: Aalborg University Hospital

Brief Summary

The aim of this study is to investigate whether the quality of physiotherapy follow-up after spinal surgery can be maintained when conducted by telephone rather than in-person. The study is motivated by the desire to save healthcare resources and reduce the environmental impact of patient travel. Data from patient records, including age, sex, surgery procedure, use of pain medication, and time spent on either phone or in-person follow-ups, will be collected to evaluate whether telephone-based follow-up is an effective and sustainable alternative for post-operative care.

Detailed Description

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and patient experience of telephone-based versus in-person physiotherapy follow-up after spinal surgery. Patients are allocated to one of two groups based on the day of the week they undergo surgery. This allocation determines whether the patient receives a follow-up assessment by telephone or in-person with a physiotherapist.

Following their assigned follow-up, patients are asked to complete questionnaires via REDCap regarding their satisfaction with the follow-up, regardless of the modality. These questionnaires also collect information on pain, physical function, and health-related quality of life. In addition to the initial assessment immediately after the follow-up, patients are sent the same questionnaires again at one and three months post-surgery.

The primary objective of the study is to compare outcomes between the two groups, evaluating whether telephone-based follow-up provides a comparable level of satisfaction, pain management, functional recovery, and quality of life to traditional in-person follow-up. The results will inform whether telephone follow-up is a viable and resource-efficient alternative to in-person assessments while maintaining high standards of post-operative care.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2025-06-12
• Study First Submitted: 2025-08-27
• Status Verified: 2025-09
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-09-08
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-09-08
• Study First Posted: 2025-09-15
• Last Update Posted: 2025-09-15
• Primary Completion: 2026-02-01
• Study Completion: 2026-02-01

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 200

Inclusion Criteria

• Patients who have undergone lumbar spine surgery at the Department of Neurosurgery, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark.
• Able to read and understand Danish.

Exclusion Criteria

• Withdrawel of consent

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Oswestry Disability Index	Immediately after the postoperative follow-up consultation with the physiotherapist, 1 month, and 3 months post-surgery.	The ODI is a validated questionnaire assessing disability related to low back pain. It includes 10 items covering pain and daily functional limitations. Each item is scored from 0 to 5, where 0 represents minimal limitation and 5 represents severe limitation. The total score ranges from 0 to 50, with higher scores indicating greater disability.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Health related quality of life	Immediately after the postoperative follow-up consultation with the physiotherapist, 1 month, and 3 months post-surgery.	The EQ-5D-5L questionnaire is a standardized measure of health-related quality of life recommended for multimorbidity research. The EQ-5D-5L assesses health status across five dimensions, including mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression. Each dimension is rated on a five-point ordinal scale ranging from 1 (indicating no problems) to 5 (indicating extreme difficulties) The EQ-5D index score can be regarded as a continuous outcome and ranges from -0.624 to 1, with higher scores indicating better general health and quality of life.
Patient Satisfaction with Follow-up (Modified CSQ-8)	Immediately after the postoperative follow-up consultation with the physiotherapist, 1 month, and 3 months post-surgery.	Patient satisfaction will be assessed using a modified version of the validated Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8 (CSQ-8). The original 8-item instrument measures overall satisfaction with healthcare services. For this study, the questionnaire has been adapted to specifically reflect the follow-up consultation with the physiotherapist, ensuring that responses relate to the guidance and instruction provided during the post-operative follow-up. Modifications include context-specific wording, such as "...based on the follow-up consultation with the physiotherapist," while maintaining the original structure and response options. Higher scores indicate greater satisfaction.
Back and leg pain (VAS, 0-100 mm)	Immediately after the postoperative follow-up consultation with the physiotherapist, 1 month, and 3 months post-surgery.	Leg pain and back pain will be assessed using a 0-100 mm Visual Analog Scale (VAS), where 0 represents "no pain" and 100 represents "worst imaginable pain."

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Department of Neurosurgery, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark.; 🇩🇰 Aalborg, Aalborg, Denmark