Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal

Abstract

ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND:
Fulfillment is undeviatingly dictated by patient anticipations. Healthcare providers must have
a perception of the parameters needed to estimate satisfaction and the associated impact that
treatment has on Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs).
OBJECTIVE:
To present a brief overview of how patient satisfaction from lumbar disc surgery can be
anticipated utilizing the minimum Clinically Important Difference of Timed Up and Go (MCID ~
TUG) Test time as an assessment tool.
PATIENTS AND METHODS:
A planned cohort design prospective study spotting a populace of 45 females, 57 men, aged from 23
to 66 years, mean of 45 ± 8 yrs. Lumbar discectomy surgeries were performed at Private Nursing
Home Hospital, Medical City, Baghdad, Iraq, over 18 months from April 2018.
Timed Up and Go (TUG) test and the Minimum Clinically Important Difference (MCID) were used
to evaluate patients' satisfaction through the assessment of PROMs. Satisfaction was defined as
a 50% reduction of the PROMs values from the preoperative values. MCID ~TUG is the difference
between preoperative and postoperative times using a digital watch.
RESULTS:
The Male : female ratio was1.4:1; 71% workers, 59% elementary educated and 70% smokers.
Medium-low back pain (LBP), leg pain lasted 7, 5 months sequentially. Near 91% held disc space
height loss, disc level transpired at L4-L5 into 50%, L5-S1 into 47%. Mean Oswestry disability
index (ODI) reached 51.5, 19 each, pre/post-surgery. Mean Visual Analogue Score (VAS) LBP,
pre 6.1, postoperative 2. Mean leg pain VAS preoperatively, 5.4, post 1.4. Mean MCID of TUG Test
time lasted 4.9 s.
CONCLUSION:
The TUG test is a quick and easily applicable tool that reliably measures satisfaction in lumbar disc
patients.