Introduction

Patient expectations and satisfaction are now widely recognized as essential components in evaluating outcomes in spinal surgery1,2,3. While traditional outcome measures have focused on objective clinical metrics, modern research emphasizes understanding and addressing patients’ preoperative expectations. These expectations shape postoperative experience, satisfaction, and perceived quality of care2,4. Unfortunately, the measurement of those parameters rarely exists in elective cranial neurosurgery5,6.

Before surgery, patients commonly hold high expectations for postoperative improvement, particularly in terms of pain relief, functional recovery, and quality of life1,7. For instance, in functional neurosurgery, patients may have hopes that far exceed what is realistic, which can create a gap between desired and actual outcomes and complicate postoperative adjustment1. Similarly, while most spinal surgery patients experience clinically relevant improvements, only approximately half of these patients report that their most important expectations are fully met4,8. Despite this discrepancy, satisfaction levels often remain high, suggesting that factors beyond expectation fulfillment—such as the importance patients attach to recovery and the degree of improvement they experience—contribute to shaping their perceptions7,8.

The relationship between expectations, outcomes, and satisfaction is complex and not fully understood. Some studies find that higher preoperative expectations are associated with greater satisfaction. Other studies report that satisfaction is more closely linked to actual functional improvement than to the fulfillment of specific expectations4,8. Furthermore, it was found that unmet expectations can lead to dissatisfaction, which highlights the need for better preoperative communication and expectation management2,4. Validated questionnaires are increasingly used as tools to systematically assess patient expectations, guide clinical discussions, and tailor postoperative support1,3.

Coping strategies have been shown to essentially influence the psychological well-being when experiencing a chronic disease9,10,11. In the neurosurgical setting, the effectiveness of coping strategies to deal with surgery-related anxiety was examined before surgery12: The coping strategy Optimism and Trust was the most frequently reported dimension and it was positively related to psychosocial well-being. Further research is required to understand the patients’ burden and needs in the neurosurgical setting.

The present work sets the stage for a deeper exploration of how patient expectations are formed, measured, and managed in neurosurgical and spinal surgery settings and how these factors influence patient-reported outcomes and...(More)

For more info please read, Trust in medical art is the most effective coping mechanism for predicting treatment satisfaction in elective neurosurgery, by Nature.com Scientific Reports