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Spinal injections in the lower back performed at ambulatory care centers have a 78% success rate of improving patients' pain and an 82% success rate of allowing patients to return to their daily activities, according to a new study conducted by the AAAHC Institute for Quality Improvement.
While more than three-quarters of the patients being treated for back pain at the 107 ambulatory centers participating in the study said their pain had improved after the procedure, just slightly over half (53%) said they were able to reduce their pain medications. Noting that more than 8 in 10 patients said they were able to return to normal daily activities after the procedure, anesthesiologist Girish P. Joshi, MD, who helped design the AAAHC Institute study, suggests, "That increase in physical activity may account for the need to continue medications."
In addition to tracking patient outcomes, the AAAHC study also yielded procedure time benchmarks for lower back injections.
Facilities with the shortest procedure times cited the following factors for their efficiency: strict scheduling policies; telephone calls with patients to confirm appointments, perform pre-assessments and pre-register patients before the procedure procedure; staff members familiar with physicians' preferences and able to have at least 2 patients ready at a time; the use of electronic health records to facilitate physicians' reporting; and all-hands-on-deck turnovers.
To order copies of the full report, visit the AAAHC Institute's website.
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