How Spine Surgeon Age Impacts Success Rate And Patient Satisfaction
Category: Spine Surgery | Author: Stefano Sinicropi
How does the age of your spine surgeon affect the operation’s success rate and overall patient satisfaction? According to a new study, although older surgeons take on more complex cases and achieve similar patient functional outcomes, they tend to receive lower patient satisfaction scores compared to their younger peers.
To get a better idea of how age impacted a spine surgeon’s ability to perform operations and achieve desired patient satisfaction scores, researchers reviewed the results of more than 3,000 adult patients who underwent elective spine surgery for degenerative spine conditions. Upon review, researchers found that there were no significant differences in objective measures of disability or pain 12 months post-op among the three groups of providers who performed the operation. Those groups were:
- Young surgeons (35-44 years old)
- Middle-aged surgeons (45-59 years old)
- Older surgeons (60 years and older)
Interestingly, when researchers examined the subjective matter of “expectations fulfilled,” patients gave higher scores if they were treated by younger or middle-aged surgeons compared to an older surgeon. Satisfaction levels were also higher when the patient was treated by a younger surgeon.
Harder Surgeries, Great Results, Less Satisfaction
The findings are a tough break for seasoned surgeons. The findings revealed that older surgeons oftentimes performed more complex operations, like lumbar spine surgeries, fusion procedures and surgeries of high invasiveness, but the overall surgery success rate and patient disability rates remained consistent across all age groups. Even though they were taking on harder operations, older surgeons were still producing great results when it came to functional scores.
Despite similar success rates and post-op disability scores, patient satisfaction scores were higher for those treated by a younger surgeon. So why is this the case? Researchers believe that bedside manner and a more recent push in medical school to improve doctor-patient communication may be behind this increase in patient satisfaction. Although the physical results may be the same, it may be the doctor’s ability to effectively communicate with the patient before and after the procedure that impacts perceived surgical satisfaction rates.
Dr. Sinicropi finds himself smack dab in the middle-aged group of spine surgeons, and he believes he draws from the best of each group. He’s performed tens of thousands of surgeries and is confident in his ability to procedure desired physical results, but he’s also young enough to understand that it’s not just about the procedure. Taking time to get to know patients, understanding their goals, discussing their concerns and making sure they have access to professional guidance as they work their way through their recovery stages goes a long way in ensuring that a patient is satisfied with the totality of their care.
If you could only choose one – desired surgical outcome or great communication and bedside manner from your surgeon – most people would obviously choose the technical precision during the operation, but fortunately you don’t need to choose when you trust your care to Dr. Sinicropi and the team at The Midwest Spine & Brain Institute. Let us help you find the best of both worlds for your spine care. For more information, or to book an appointment with our care team, give us a call today at (651) 430-3800.
