Table 1.
Selected outcome measures used in studies of low back pain
| Domain | Examples | |
|---|---|---|
| Patient oriented outcomes | General health status and quality of life | SF-36, SF-12, Sickness impact profile, EuroQuol |
| Back-specific disability | NASS low back pain instrument, Prolo scale | |
| Low back outcome score | ||
| Dallas pain questionnaire | ||
| Oswestry disability questionnaire | ||
| Roland and Morris disability scale | ||
| Patient satisfaction | Patient satisfaction index | |
| Pain level | 0–10 analog pain scale | |
| Medication use | Medication type and doseage measured pre- and post-operatively | |
| Change in medication usage following surgery | ||
| Return to work | Prolo economic scale, return to work, work retention, LBP-related work disability recurrence | |
| Non-patient oriented outcomes | Econometric outcomes | Return to work, work retention, LBP-related work disability recurrence, quality-adjusted years of life, direct and indirect costs associated with surgery and rehabilitation, Prolo economic scale |
| Biomechanical | Implant durability | |
| Surgical | Frequency and type of revision, salvage, replacement | |
| Radiological | Fusion status |
Adapted and modified from Blount et al. (Blount KJ, Krompinger WJ, Maljanian R, Browner BD (2002) Moving toward a standard for spinal fusion outcomes assessment. J Spinal Disord Tech 15(1):16–23) and Bombardier et al. (Bombardier C (2000) Outcome assessments in the evaluation of treatment of spinal disorders: summary and general recommendations. Spine 25(24):3100–3103)