• Joshua Rempel, Jason W Busse, Brian Drew, Kesava Reddy, Aleksa Cenic, Edward Kachur, Naresh Murty, Henry Candelaria, Ainsley E Moore, and John J Riva.
• Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
• Spine. 2017 Mar 1; 42 (5): E288E293E288-E293.

Study DesignA questionnaire survey.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to explore patient attitudes toward screening to assess suitability for low back surgery by nonphysician health care providers.Summary Of Background DataCanadian spine surgeons have shown support for nonphysician screening to assess and triage patients with low back pain and low back related leg pain. However, patients' attitudes toward this proposed model are largely unknown.MethodsWe administered a 19-item cross-sectional survey to adults with low back and/or low back related leg pain who were referred for elective surgical assessment at one of five spine surgeons' clinics in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The survey inquired about demographics, expectations regarding wait time for surgical consultation, as well as willingness to pay, travel, and be screened by nonphysician health care providers.ResultsEighty low back patients completed our survey, for a response rate of 86.0% (80 of 93). Most respondents (72.5%; 58 of 80) expected to be seen by a surgeon within 3 months of referral, and 88.8% (71 of 80) indicated willingness to undergo screening with a nonphysician health care provider to establish whether they were potentially a surgical candidate. Half of respondents (40 of 80) were willing to travel >50 km for assessment by a nonphysician health care provider, and 46.2% were willing to pay out-of-pocket (25.6% were unsure). However, most respondents (70.0%; 56 of 80) would still want to see a surgeon if they were ruled out as a surgical candidate, and written comments from respondents revealed concern regarding agreement between surgeons' and nonphysicians' determination of surgical candidates.ConclusionPatients referred for surgical consultation for low back or low back related leg pain are largely willing to accept screening by nonphysician health care providers. Future research should explore the concordance of screening results between surgeon and nonphysician health care providers.Level Of Evidence3.

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