Search

Background: Patients with lumbar spondylolisthesis typically suffer from symptom discomfort and various degrees of disability for months or years prior to receiving surgical treatments. Knowing the factors that influence the disability status of these patients will help healthcare providers develop effective preventive measures. Purpose: To explore preoperative disability and its important predictive factors in patients with lumbar spondylolisthesis Methods: A predictive correlational design was used and a convenience sample of eighty-six lumbar spondylolisthesis preoperative patients were recruited from a medical center in northern Taiwan. Data were collected using a study questionnaire, which included the Oswestry disability index, the revised geriatric depression scale-short form, and a pain numeric rating scale. Results: The average disability index of the participants was 48.52 (SD = 16.14). The multiple linear regression analyses identified lower back pain, depression, age, and gender as significant predictors of preoperative disability, collectively explaining 40.9% of the variation in disability severity. Being female, being older, having a higher degree of lower back pain, and having depression were significantly associated with preoperative disability. Conclusions/Implications for Practice: The results of the present study indicate that lumbar spondylolisthesis patients who are older in age, female, currently experiencing lower back pain, and suffering from depression face a higher risk of preoperative disability. Patients in these at-risk categories should be assessed actively and provided with appropriate patient education in order to enhance their quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cervical disc herniation (CDH) is associated with neuropathic pain that typically lasts for an extended period of time and significantly affects the quality of life (QOL) of CDH patients. Few studies of the effect CDH-related neuropathic pain on quality of life have been conducted in Taiwan. Purpose: This study explores the relationship among neuropathic pain, sleep disorder, and quality of life in CDH patients. Methods: This cross-sectional correlation study design used convenience sampling and collected 102 valid questionnaires. The 5 structured questionnaires used to collect data included a basic information sheet, the Japanese Orthopedic Association scoring system for disease severity survey, Neuropathic Pain Questionnaire, Verran and Snyder-Halpern Sleep Scale Chinese version, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF Taiwan version. Data were analyzed using SPSS for Windows 19.0 software. Results: Participants reported a moderate level of neuropathic pain and sleep disorder. Disease severity (p < .01), neuropathic pain (p < .05), and sleep disorder (p < .01) correlated negatively with QOL. Disease severity and sleep disorder were significant predictors of QOL and explained about 26.3% of the total variance. Conclusions / Implications for Practice: The most important predictors of QOL are disease severity and sleep disorder. This result suggests that reducing the incidence of sleep disorder among this patient population will improve their QOL. Study results provide important information for health professionals in caring for patients with cervical disc herniation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]