{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,13]],"date-time":"2025-12-13T05:08:26Z","timestamp":1765602506058,"version":"3.48.0"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,25]],"date-time":"2025-07-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1753401600000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":24,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Birmingham Health Partnership"},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000272","name":"National Institute for Health Research","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000272","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["BMJ Open"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,8]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,7]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>To gain insight into patients\u2019 views, perceptions, experiences and expectations postlumbar discectomy.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A qualitative study using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) purposively recruited patients undergoing lumbar discectomy at one UK spinal centre. Purposive criteria included age, sex, ethnicity, symptom duration, work\/sick leave, education level and co-existing psychological issues. Semi-structured interviews were conducted using a patient co-constructed topic guide. Interview transcriptions were analysed in accordance with IPA. Strategies enhancing trustworthiness included suspension of judgements and presuppositions, reflexivity, iterative coding process and critique from co-investigators.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Data from 14 participants (eight elective, 6 emergency surgery) informed four themes. The theme ready to move forwards was characterised by high satisfaction with post-operative improvement, positivity and optimism, with readiness to work towards personal goals. The theme post-operative fear and uncertainty was characterised by reflections on pre-operative difficulties fuelling fear about potential recurrence and long-term impacts. The theme of advice and guidance considered important was characterised by the expectation and value of support provided (verbal, written); instances of negative influences from healthcare interactions and access to unregulated patient information sources suggest scope for future improvement. The final theme, heterogeneity in peri-operative needs, was characterised by variation in depth\/access to patient information, perceived post-operative support and wide-ranging preoperative activity\/fitness.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Surgery offers physical and psychosocial changes which could be better harnessed to positively influence recovery through high quality verbal\/written communication. Peri-operative advice and guidance was valued; while this was sufficient for some, personalised rehabilitation should be available owing to the identified heterogeneity.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2025-101259","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,25]],"date-time":"2025-07-25T09:30:33Z","timestamp":1753435833000},"page":"e101259","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Patient lumbar discectomy journey (DiscJourn) in the UK: a qualitative study"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Louise","family":"White","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Physiotherapy Department, Level 1, North Suite, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, UK"},{"name":"Queen Elizabeth Neurosciences Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7599-3674","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nicola R","family":"Heneghan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre of Precision Rehabilitation for Spinal Pain, School of Sport Exercise and Rehabilitation, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Navin","family":"Furtado","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Queen Elizabeth Neurosciences Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Karl","family":"Baraks","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physiotherapy, Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, Birmingham, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Zeeshan","family":"Parvez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre of Precision Rehabilitation for Spinal Pain, School of Sport Exercise and Rehabilitation, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Annabel","family":"Masson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre of Precision Rehabilitation for Spinal Pain, School of Sport Exercise and Rehabilitation, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK"},{"name":"Department of Allied Health, Birmingham Newman University, Birmingham, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8114-7669","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alison B","family":"Rushton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Physical Therapy, Western University Faculty of Health Sciences, London, Ontario, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,25]]},"reference":[{"unstructured":"Greenhough C . National back and radicular pain pathway. 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Interpretative phenomenological analysis. 2nd edn. SAGE Publications, 2012.","key":"2025121221064711000_15.7.e101259.17"},{"key":"2025121221064711000_15.7.e101259.18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2018-025814","article-title":"Patient journey following lumbar discectomy surgery: protocol for a single-centre qualitative analysis of the patient rehabilitation experience (DiscJourn)","volume":"9","author":"White","year":"2019","journal-title":"BMJ Open"},{"doi-asserted-by":"publisher","key":"2025121221064711000_15.7.e101259.19","DOI":"10.1097\/ACM.0000000000000388"},{"doi-asserted-by":"publisher","key":"2025121221064711000_15.7.e101259.20","DOI":"10.1093\/intqhc\/mzm042"},{"key":"2025121221064711000_15.7.e101259.21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4048","DOI":"10.1080\/09638288.2022.2148761","article-title":"Thoughts and concerns of patients at hospital discharge after lumbar spine surgery. 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