Table 2.
Comparison of the Neurosurgeon and Orthopedic Surgeon group of responses
| Variable | All answers (N = 70) | Neurosurgeon (N = 21) | Orthopedic surgeon (N = 49) | p-value† | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total no. of NASS-discordant answers | 4.93 ± 2.01 | 4.62 ± 1.85 | 5.06 ± 2.07 | 0.403 | |
| Fellowship training | 68 (97.1) | 20 (95.2) | 48 (97.9) | 0.513 | |
| Years in practice | |||||
| 0–5 | 28 (40) | 6 (28.6) | 22 (44.9) | 0.288 | |
| 6–10 | 14 (20) | 4 (19) | 10 (20.4) | 1.000 | |
| 11–15 | 9 (13) | 4 (19) | 5 (10.2) | 0.437 | |
| 16–20 | 7 (10) | 6 (28.6) | 1 (20.4) | < 0.01* | |
| > 20 | 12 (17.1) | 1 (4.7) | 11 (22.4) | 0.09 | |
| Approach to indicate lumbar fusion | |||||
| I do not use a specific criteria | 5 (7.1) | 1 (4.8) | 4 (8.2) | 1.000 | |
| I consider the evidence-based NASS criteria in my evaluation | 42 (60) | 13 (61.9) | 29 (59.2) | 0.831 | |
| I use another criteria | 9 (12.9) | 4 (19) | 5 (10.2) | 0.259 | |
| My indication is only based on my clinical experience | 14 (20) | 3 (14.3) | 11 (22.4) | 0.529 | |
| Region | |||||
| South | 20 (28.6) | 6 (28.6) | 14 (28.6) | 1.000 | |
| Northeast | 19 (27.1) | 5 (23.8) | 14 (28.6) | 0.776 | |
| Midwest | 16 (22.9) | 4 (19) | 12 (24.5) | 0.761 | |
| West | 9 (12.9) | 3 (14.3) | 6 (12.2) | 1.000 | |
| Canada | 6 (8.6) | 3 (14.3) | 3 (6.1) | 0.355 | |
| NASS-concordant approach (≥ 70% of NASS-concordant answers) | 44 (62.8) | 14 (66.7) | 30 (61.23) | 0.79 | |
Values are presented as mean±standard deviation or number (%).
NASS, North America Spine Society.
*
p < 0.05, statistically significant difference.
†
Fisher exact test, t-test, or Mann-Whitney test, comparing the group of Neurosurgeons with Orthopedic Surgeons.