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NCT Number: NCT07173413

Assessing the Quality of Telephone Follow-Up After Spine Surgery

The aim of this study is to investigate whether the quality of physiotherapy follow-up after spinal surgery can be maintained when conducted by telephone rather than in-person. The study is motivated by the desire to save healthcare resources and reduce the environmental impact of patient travel. Data from patient records, including age, sex, surgery procedure, use of pain medication, and time spent on either phone or in-person follow-ups, will be collected to evaluate whether telephone-based follow-up is an effective and sustainable alternative for post-operative care.

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Key information

Conditions

Low Back Pain Back Pain Neurologic Manifestations Pain Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Department of Neurosurgery, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark.

Aalborg, 9000, Denmark

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Thorvaldur Palsson, PhD

CONTACT

97664217

About this study

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and patient experience of telephone-based versus in-person physiotherapy follow-up after spinal surgery. Patients are allocated to one of two groups based on the day of the week they undergo surgery. This allocation determines whether the patient receives a follow-up assessment by telephone or in-person with a physiotherapist.

Following their assigned follow-up, patients are asked to complete questionnaires via REDCap regarding their satisfaction with the follow-up, regardless of the modality. These questionnaires also collect information on pain, physical function, and health-related quality of life. In addition to the initial assessment immediately after the follow-up, patients are sent the same questionnaires again at one and three months post-surgery.

The primary objective of the study is to compare outcomes between the two groups, evaluating whether telephone-based follow-up provides a comparable level of satisfaction, pain management, functional recovery, and quality of life to traditional in-person follow-up. The results will inform whether telephone follow-up is a viable and resource-efficient alternative to in-person assessments while maintaining high standards of post-operative care.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients who have undergone lumbar spine surgery at the Department of Neurosurgery, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark.
  • Able to read and understand Danish.

Exclusion criteria

  • Withdrawel of consent

Treatment and study plan

Telephone post-surgery physiotherapy follow-up

Other

Post-operative physiotherapy follow-up delivered via a structured telephone consultation. The session focuses on recovery after lumbar spine surgery, addressing pain management, mobility, exercise recommendations, and guidance on daily activities. The physiotherapist evaluates the patient's status verbally, answers questions, and provides tailored advice to support safe rehabilitation without requiring the patient to attend the hospital physically.

Other names: Telephone physiotherapy follow-up

In person post-operative physiotherapy follow-up

Other

Post-operative physiotherapy follow-up delivered as an in-person consultation at the hospital. The session includes assessment of recovery after lumbar spine surgery, hands-on evaluation if needed, and tailored advice on pain management, mobility, exercise progression, and daily activity. This format allows the physiotherapist to physically observe and, if relevant, demonstrate exercises to ensure correct performance and safe rehabilitation.

Primary outcomes

  1. Oswestry Disability Index

    Time frame: Immediately after the postoperative follow-up consultation with the physiotherapist, 1 month, and 3 months post-surgery.

    The ODI is a validated questionnaire assessing disability related to low back pain. It includes 10 items covering pain and daily functional limitations. Each item is scored from 0 to 5, where 0 represents minimal limitation and 5 represents severe limitation. The total score ranges from 0 to 50, with higher scores indicating greater disability.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Health related quality of life

    Time frame: Immediately after the postoperative follow-up consultation with the physiotherapist, 1 month, and 3 months post-surgery.

    The EQ-5D-5L questionnaire is a standardized measure of health-related quality of life recommended for multimorbidity research. The EQ-5D-5L assesses health status across five dimensions, including mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression. Each dimension is rated on a five-point ordinal scale ranging from 1 (indicating no problems) to 5 (indicating extreme difficulties) The EQ-5D index score can be regarded as a continuous outcome and ranges from -0.624 to 1, with higher scores indicating better general health and quality of life.

  2. Patient Satisfaction with Follow-up (Modified CSQ-8)

    Time frame: Immediately after the postoperative follow-up consultation with the physiotherapist, 1 month, and 3 months post-surgery.

    Patient satisfaction will be assessed using a modified version of the validated Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8 (CSQ-8). The original 8-item instrument measures overall satisfaction with healthcare services. For this study, the questionnaire has been adapted to specifically reflect the follow-up consultation with the physiotherapist, ensuring that responses relate to the guidance and instruction provided during the post-operative follow-up. Modifications include context-specific wording, such as "...based on the follow-up consultation with the physiotherapist," while maintaining the original structure and response options. Higher scores indicate greater satisfaction.

  3. Back and leg pain (VAS, 0-100 mm)

    Time frame: Immediately after the postoperative follow-up consultation with the physiotherapist, 1 month, and 3 months post-surgery.

    Leg pain and back pain will be assessed using a 0-100 mm Visual Analog Scale (VAS), where 0 represents "no pain" and 100 represents "worst imaginable pain."

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Jacob Gandløse, PhD student

CONTACT

[email protected]

+4550998483

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Aalborg University Hospital

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Evaluating the Quality of Telephone Follow-Up After Spine Surgery: A Non-Inferiority Study

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Sep 15, 2025
Registry last updated
Sep 15, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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