Social Vulnerability Index Provides Greater Granularity Compared With the Area Deprivation Index When Assessing Outcomes Following Elective Lumbar Fusion.

Study Design: Retrospective review of a single institution cohort.

Objective: To determine whether area deprivation index (ADI) or social vulnerability index (SVI) is more suitable for evaluating minimum clinically important difference (MCID) achievement following elective lumbar fusion as captured by the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS).

Summary Of Background Data: A total of 182 patients who underwent elective one-level to two-level posterior lumbar fusion between January 2015 and September 2021.

Patient satisfaction with follow-up after spinal fusion.

Background: Postoperative follow-up visits (PFUs) allow providers to track patient recovery but can be costly to patients. With the advent of the novel coronavirus pandemic, virtual/phone visits have been utilized as an alternative to in-person PFUs. Patients were surveyed to elucidate patient satisfaction with postoperative care in the setting of increased virtual follow-up visits.