RESUMO
Surgical correction is an effective treatment for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) with deformities over 45°. In the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS, Sistema Único de Saúde), if the surgical procedure is indicated, the patients are placed on a waiting list and wait until the treatment can be performed. An extended waiting period can be harmful due to worsening symptoms and increased treatment costs. Additionally, it has negative effects on the mental health and quality of life of these patients. This paper is a systematic review protocol to answer the following question: "What is the impact of the delayed surgical correction of AIS considering costs and quality of life?" Collecting health status information is the first step to improve high complex public health actions. Future publications from this protocol may serve as a subsidy to point out potential priority criteria to enhance the global health of AIS patients and the management of Brazilian public health financial resources.
RESUMO
Abstract Surgical correction is an effective treatment for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) with deformities over 45°. In the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS, Sistema Único de Saúde), if the surgical procedure is indicated, the patients are placed on a waiting list and wait until the treatment can be performed. An extended waiting period can be harmful due to worsening symptoms and increased treatment costs. Additionally, it has negative effects on the mental health and quality of life of these patients. This paper is a systematic review protocol to answer the following question: "What is the impact of the delayed surgical correction of AIS considering costs and quality of life?" Collecting health status information is the first step to improve high complex public health actions. Future publications from this protocol may serve as a subsidy to point out potential priority criteria to enhance the global health of AIS patients and the management of Brazilian public health financial resources.
Resumo A correção cirúrgica é uma opção efetiva de tratamento para casos de Escoliose Idiopática do Adolescente (EIA) com curvas acima de 45°. No âmbito do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS), os pacientes avaliados nos centros de referência e com indicação cirúrgica são cadastrados em fila de espera até que o tratamento definitivo possa ser realizado. Um período de espera extenso pode ser prejudicial, do ponto de vista de piora dos sintomas e de aumento do custo de tratamento, além de gerar efeitos negativos na saúde mental e na qualidade de vida do paciente. O presente artigo trata-se do protocolo de uma revisão sistemática que buscará responder o questionamento: "Qual o impacto do tempo de espera para correção cirúrgica da EIA do ponto de vista de custo e qualidade de vida?." O aperfeiçoamento das ações de saúde pública, na esfera da alta complexidade, inicia-se com o levantamento de informações sobre a situação de saúde de determinada condição. Diante disso, as futuras publicações provenientes deste protocolo poderão servir como subsídio para apontar possíveis critérios de prioridade, com o intuito de promover melhoria tanto no âmbito da saúde global de portadores de EIA, quanto na gestão financeira da saúde pública brasileira.
Assuntos
Humanos , Adolescente , Escoliose/cirurgia , Coluna Vertebral/cirurgia , Sistema Único de Saúde , Listas de EsperaRESUMO
PURPOSE: To investigate, through a systematic review, the impact of the waiting time for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) surgical correction from the point of view of deformity evolution, treatment cost, and quality of life. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, LILACS, SciELO, Scopus, Web of Science, LIVIVO, and Cochrane Library databases were searched by two researchers to select the articles. The eligibility criteria were: Patients diagnosed with AIS with indication for surgical correction and submitted to waiting lists until treatment. The risks of bias were evaluated using the Risk Of Bias In Non-randomized Studies-Interventions (ROBINS-I) tool, and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system was used to classify the level of the evidence for each outcome. The summary of the available evidence is presented in a narrative synthesis. RESULTS: Six observational studies were included. In a Canadian study, the primary outcome was the need for additional spine surgery in patients who had to wait more than three months due to spine deformity progression. American researchers presented a sample of premenarcheal and skeletally immature patients with AIS showing increased Cobb angle and attributed this to a six-month waiting for the surgical treatment. Another study included 177 patients with AIS with a mean waiting time of 225.7 days. There was a worsening average of 7.7° ± 8.6° in Cobb angle, and there was a change in surgical plan in 28 patients, which increased surgical time. Studies that evaluated the treatment cost showed significantly higher mean costs in those who waited longer than six months. Regarding the quality of life, while waiting for surgery, a retrospective study found that patients who underwent surgery earlier showed better results in a questionnaire that assessed their quality of life compared to those who were still waiting. CONCLUSION: Observational studies show that, in individuals who are on waiting lists for AIS surgery, there is a worsening of the spinal deformity (substantial evidence), an increasing cost of treatment (moderate evidence) and it may negatively impact patients' quality of life (insufficient evidence). Performing better methodological quality studies to investigate these outcomes can violate good research practices since randomized clinical trials on this subject have ethical limitations to be carried out. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The authors declare that the systematic review protocol was registered at the international prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO), CRD42020212134, and it was accepted for publication.