Dominic Pelle, MD: Improving Patient-Reported Outcomes in Spine Surgery

“If I’m going to take somebody to surgery, what we want to do is make sure that they have a point person that they can communicate with. All of these things are ongoing, but we try to direct patients where they need to go and keep them plugged into us, at the Center for Spine Health and to the surgeons.”

When it comes to spine surgery, one’s first thought can often drift toward the realm of complications or the challenge of the procedure. But for Dominic Pelle, MD, spine surgeon, Center for Spine Health, Cleveland Clinic, and colleagues, the first thought is often the patient's quality of life.

In a conversation with NeurologyLive, Pelle offered insight into the ongoing projects at the Center for Spine Health centered around consistently improving patient-reported outcomes and their importance to the Center. He mentioned how they establish goals for patients and seek to identify novel techniques to improve the procedures.

Additionally, Pelle shared the system in place for communication with the patient, with the surgeon playing a “quarterback” of sorts, ensuring a consistent line of communication and guidance for the patient as they go from clinician to clinician leading up to their procedures.