Experiences and perceptions of adults pre- and/or post-lumbar spine surgery: a meta-ethnography

Study design: Qualitative meta-ethnography. Pre-registered with OSF:10.17605/OSF.IO/UTZE6.

Purpose: To understand the patient experience pre- and/or post-lumbar spine surgery.

Methods: Literature search: A literature search was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, EmCare and CINAHL from inception to October 17, 2022. Study selection criteria: Peer-reviewed qualitative or mixed-method studies of English text investigating the beliefs, perceptions, or experiences of adults (≥18 years old) pre- and/or post-lumbar spine surgery for degenerative, non-traumatic or non-infectious concerns. Data synthesis: The eMERGE meta-ethnography reporting guidelines were followed to create themes and subthemes from the original themes of the included studies. A quality appraisal was performed using the McMaster Quality Appraisal tool.

Results: We included 18 studies and identified five themes that were separated into pre- and post-operative categories. The two pre-operative themes included [1]: the influence of physiotherapy interventions on patients' experiences, and [2] the importance of education/the power of communication, and the three post-operative themes included [1]: psychosocial coping [2], redefining oneself post-operatively, and [3] experience with the healthcare system.

Conclusions: These findings emphasize the complexity of the peri-operative experience for individuals undergoing lumbar spine surgery. Future research should focus on addressing psychosocial factors that may optimize patient experiences and recovery following LSS.