[Satisfaction of patients with cervical pain and low back pain in a rehabilitation service]. / Satisfacción de los pacientes con cervicalgia y lumbalgia en un servicio de rehabilitación.

BACKGROUND: The aims of the present paper are: to reduce waiting time for treatment of patients with low back pain/cervical pain; to determine the degree of satisfaction of patients being treated by groups; and to determine whether there is correlation amongst satisfaction, improvement of pain and impact on the activities of everyday life. METHODS: Prospective observational study. STUDY POPULATION: users of the surgeries of a tertiary hospital and the specialties center attached to it, who attended surgery because of cervical/low back pain, and practiced a serie of exercises. PERIOD OF STUDY: 1 october 2001 to 1 April 2002. The instrument of measurement used for evaluating pain and disability was the Von Korff questionnaire for low back pain, with an adaptation of this questionnaire for cervical pain. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Wilcoxon's non-parametric test. RESULTS: Total number of patients 273 (176 with cervical pain and 97 with low back pain): 198 women and 75 men. Average age: 48.5 (20-81). The self perceived evaluation of the patients treated in a group improved in 72 subjects (p<0.0001) with cervical pain and in 33 (p<0.001) with low back pain. Post-treatment pain was significantly better (p<0.001) than pre-treatment pain in both groups. Its influence on the activities of everyday life did not achieve statistical significance. Perception of the information received was positive in the cervical group (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Following the application of different techniques: reduction in number of patients and waiting time - decisive factors in the satisfaction of these patients; a good acceptance of group treatment was obtained, ameliorating pain. The degree of knowledge of their pathology only improved in the cervical group.

Satisfacción de los pacientes con cervicalgia y lumbalgia en un servicio de rehabilitación / Satisfaction of patients with cervical pain and low back pain in a rehabilitation service

Fundamento. Son objetivos del presente trabajo: reducir el tiempo de espera para iniciar tratamiento de pacientes con lumbalgia/cervicalgia; conocer el grado de satisfacción de los pacientes al ser tratados mediante terapia en grupo; y determinar si existe correlación entre la satisfacción global, mejora del dolor e impacto sobre las actividades de la vida diaria.Material y métodos. Estudio prospectivo observacional. Población a estudio: usuarios de las consultas de un hospital terciario y del centro de especialidades adscrito al mismo, que acudieron por dolor cervical/lumbar y que modificaron una serie de ejercicios en grupo. Período de estudio: del 1 de octubre de 2001 al 1 de abril de 2002. El instrumento de medida para valorar el dolor y discapacidad fue el cuestionario Von Korff del dolor lumbar, realizándose una adaptación del mismo para el dolor cervical. Análisis estadístico: test no paramétrico de Wilcoxon.Resultados. Total de pacientes 273 (176 cervicalgias y 97 lumbalgias): 198 mujeres y 75 hombres. Edad media: 48,5 (20-81). La valoración subjetiva de los pacientes tratados en grupo mejoró en 72 sujetos (p<0,0001) con cervicalgia y en 33 (p<0,001) con lumbalgia. El dolor post-tratamiento fue significativamente mejor (p<0,001) que el pre-tratamiento en ambos grupos. Su influencia en las actividades de la vida diaria no alcanzó significación estadística. La percepción de la información recibida fue positiva en el grupo cervical (p<0,05).Conclusiones. Tras la aplicación de diversas técnicas: disminuye el volumen y el tiempo de espera –determinantes de la satisfacción de estos pacientes–; se logra una buena aceptación del tratamiento grupal, mejorando el dolor. El grado de conocimiento sobre su patología sólo mejoró en el grupo cervical

Background. The aims of the present paper are: to reduce waiting time for treatment of patients with low back pain/cervical pain; to determine the degree of satisfaction of patients being treated by groups; and to determine whether there is correlation amongst satisfaction, improvement of pain and impact on the activities of everyday life.Methods. Prospective observational study. Study population: users of the surgeries of a tertiary hospital and the specialties center attached to it, who attended surgery because of cervical/low back pain, and practiced a serie of exercises. Period of study: 1 october 2001 to 1 April 2002. The instrument of measurement used for evaluating pain and disability was the Von Korff questionnaire for low back pain, with an adaptation of this questionnaire for cervical pain. Statistical analysis: Wilcoxon’s non-parametric test.Results. Total number of patients 273 (176 with cervical pain and 97 with low back pain): 198 women and 75 men. Average age: 48.5 (20-81). The self perceived evaluation of the patients treated in a group improved in 72 subjects (p<0.0001) with cervical pain and in 33 (p<0.001) with low back pain. Post-treatment pain was significantly better (p<0.001) than pre-treatment pain in both groups. Its influence on the activities of everyday life did not achieve statistical significance. Perception of the information received was positive in the cervical group (p<0.05).Conclusions. Following the application of different techniques: reduction in number of patients and waiting time – decisive factors in the satisfaction of these patients; a good acceptance of group treatment was obtained, ameliorating pain. The degree of knowledge of their pathology only improved in the cervical group