Present status of known and possible outcomes in neurosurgery: a survey of outcome assessment.
OBJECTIVE
In the area of health care research, quality of life (QoL) is considered as a diagnostic tool for problem-oriented care of postoperative cancer patients. The aim of this study was to assess the attitude of neurosurgeons towards the different outcome measurements.


METHODS
This prospective study was conducted between the 15(th) and 18th of June 2005 during the third world conference of the International Study Group on Neuroendoscopy (ISGNE) in Marburg, Germany. Copies of the questionnaire that was generated for this purpose were distributed to the participants from all over the world. Respondents were asked to return the completed questionnaire to the registration/information desk. The acquired data from the questionnaires were transferred to Excel spreadsheet. Only data from completely filled out questionnaires were included in the descriptive and explorative analysis.


RESULTS
Forty of the 150 questionnaires that were distributed were complete without missing values and mistakes. Data from these 40 questionnaires were used for analysis. Sixty eight percent (27:40) of the neurosurgeons considered mortality as the first or the second rank of outcome measurement, whereas morbidity was also found to be the other important outcome measurement (the first or the second rank of outcome measurement) in 45% (18:40) of the neurosurgeons. Improved QoL was considered as the third or the fourth priority of outcome measurement in 53% (22:40) of the respondents. Although from these data, it may be difficult to infer that there is a real transfer of QoL concept from the scientific theory and the measurement level into clinical application. However, this may reflect a change in attitude of the surgeon.


CONCLUSIONS
Besides disseminating new QoL concepts through publication and information technology, an implementation of this contemporary concept would provide a postoperative neurosurgical patient an optimal and rapid therapy according to the disclosed problems in the somatic, psychological, and social domains. Therefore, a QoL profile that can be used in each group of neurosurgical patient should be created.
Tirakotai
Wuttipong
W
Department of Neurosurgery, Philipps University, Baldingerstrasse, 35033, Marburg, Germany.
Lapanich
Saranya
S
Riegel
Thomas
T
Hellwig
Dieter
D
Bertalanffy
Helmut
H
Celik
Ilhan
I
D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D003625:Data Collection; D023381:Endpoint Determination; D006801:Humans; D044583:Neuroendoscopy; D009493:Neurosurgery / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life