Research surveys
Engaging our members and understanding their perspectives can bring about invaluable results to various topics and research questions. We invite our members to share their opinions and perspectives by participating in our online surveys.
Explore our open surveys below. Explore the outcomes and findings from our closed surveys.
For more information about how to distribute your survey to the AO Spine International community, please contact research@aospine.org.
Open surveys
Dural tear management in spine surgery
Spinal dural tears are significant complications that can occur during spinal surgeries, leading to potential cerebrospinal fluid leakage, nerve root compression, and infection risks. The management of spinal dural tears varies depending on the surgeon's experience, preference, and available resources. Understanding the current practices and approaches surgeons employ in managing spinal dural tears is essential for optimizing patient outcomes and improving surgical techniques.
We designed a survey to gain insight into the practices and decision-making processes of surgeons in managing dural tears. It is planned to publish the findings in a peer-reviewed journal and this information will be used to contribute to the development of a guideline for how to manage incidental dural tears.
Access the survey here. Deadline to respond is August 30, 2024.
Closed surveys (2019 to present)
-
Intra- and Postoperative Management of Adult Spine Deformity or Degeneration Patients
Purpose: To better understand the global variability in the intra- and postoperative management of patients undergoing spinal fusions.
Release date: March 2022
Target community: International
Principal Coordinating Investigator: Stephen Lewis
Co-Principal Coordinating Investigators: So Kato, Lawrence Lenke, Christopher Shaffrey, Tim Yoon, and Ho-Joong Kim
Outcomes:
- Activity and sports resumption after long segment fusions to the pelvis for adult spinal deformity: survey results of AO Spine members
- Antibiotic Use in Adult Spine Deformity Surgery: Results From the AO Spine Surveillance of the Management of Patients With Adult Spine Deformity
- Surgeon Preferences Worldwide in Wound Drain Utilization in Open Lumbar Fusion Surgery for Degenerative Pathologies
- Post-operative bracing following adult spine deformity surgery: Results from the AO Spine surveillance of post-operative management of patients with adult spine deformity | PLOS ONE
-
Frailty in the Metastatic Spine Tumor Population
Purpose: AO Spine KF Tumor project analyzes the perceptions, opinions, and practices of spine surgeons about frailty regarding spine metastatic disease and identify what spine surgeons consider to be relevant preoperative factors and postoperative outcomes.
Release date: February 2021
Target community: International
Principal Coordinating Investigator: Michael Weber
Co-Principal Coordinating Investigators: Miltiadis Georgiopoulos, Raphaële Charest-Morin, Rory Goodwin
Outcomes:
-
Feasibility and utility of intraoperative ultrasound in spinal cord injury patients
Purpose: The AO Spine Knowledge Forum Spinal Cord Injury (KF SCI) seeks spine surgeons' input to understand the feasibility and utility of intraoperative ultrasound in managing SCI patients through a short survey.
Release date: December 2021
Target community: International
PI: James Guest
Co-PIs: Christoph Hofstetter, Chris Neal
-
Management of patients with asymptomatic cervical spinal cord compression and mild degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM)
Purpose: AO Spine Knowledge Forum Spinal Cord Injury seeks spine surgeons' input to understand the current practice, including workup and follow up, for two key knowledge gaps in the care for DCM.
Release date: December 2021
Target Community: International
Principal Coordinating Investigator: James Harrop
-
Neck Pain Among Spine Surgeons
Purpose: To estimate the prevalence of neck pain in spine surgeons by using different measures. As a secondary aim, the study will determine medical and professional consequences of neck pain and the associated factors as well as significant predictors of neck pain.
Release date: May 2021
Target community: International
Principal Coordinating Investigator: Sameh Abolfotouh
Outcomes: Epidemiology of Work-Related Neck Pain Among Spine Surgeons
-
EMG/NCS of the Cervical Spine
Purpose: We are trying to understand how much or how little spine surgeons know about electromyogram and nerve conduction studies (EMG/NCS). This is a test of our community's knowledge.
For answers and explanations to the test questions, click here.
Release date: April 2021
Target community: International
Principal Coordinating Investigator: Daniel Riew
Outcomes:
-
COVID-19 and the Spine Surgeon: 1 year later
Purpose: In March 2020, during the first wave of the pandemic, an initial AO Spine COVID-19 survey was circulated to assess the impact of the virus on spine surgeons worldwide. One year later, we are interested in gaining more insight as to the longer-term follow-up of our community, addressing prediction models, as well as assessing unmet needs and expectations.
Release date: March 2021
Target community: International
Principal Coordinating Investigator: Dino Samartzis
Co-Principal Coordinating Investigators: Philip Louie and the AO Spine Regional Research Officers
Outcomes:
-
AO Spine study—Variations in the Treatment of Metastatic Spine Tumors
Purpose: To ascertain the degree of variability in management strategies of patients with spine metastasis across AO Spine members and determine what practice and training attributes best predict the management strategies employed by members
Release date: February 2021
Target community: International
Principal Coordinating Investigator: Daniel Sciubba
Co-Principal Coordinating Investigators: Larry Lo and Zach Pennington
Outcomes:
-
AO Spine Knowledge Forum SCI project—Current management preference of cervical SCI
Purpose: To understand the current management preference of cervical SCI and obtain AO Spine members' input on a new classification system proposal for mild cervical SCI without instability
Release date: October 2020
Target community: International
Principal Coordinating Investigator: Jefferson R. Wilson, KF SCI member
-
Frailty. Latin America Perspectives
Purpose: To evaluate the demographic characteristics of spine surgeons and specific questions regarding the use of frailty indexes prior to elective spine surgeries
Release date: October 2020
Target community: Latin America
Principal investigator: Alfredo Guiroy
Outcomes: -
-
Regional Research Needs Assessment
Purpose:
This survey seeks:
1) To assess the research capabilities and needs of the AO Spine community
2) To engage with AO Spine members and develop the strategic plan for how AO Spine can best support and develop research in the regionsRelease date: September 2020
Target community: International
Principal Coordinating Investigator: Dino Samartzis
Outcomes:
-
Clinical Practice Guidelines of the Management of Spine Disorders
Purpose: To discuss the Clinical Practice Guidelines for the management of spinal disorders
Release date: August 2020
Target community: Latin America
Principal investigator: Asdrubal Falavigna
Outcomes: -
-
Spinal injection survey among spine surgeons in Latin America
Purpose: Define the indications and techniques of spinal injection for treatment of lumbar degenerative spinal stenos more frequently used by spine surgeons in Latino America
Release date: June 2020
Target community: Latin America
Principal investigator: Marcelo Molina
Outcomes: -
-
Telemedicine & the Spine Surgeon—Spine Surgeon Perspectives and Practices Worldwide
Purpose:
This survey seeks to determine:
1) The extent of spine surgeon adoption of telemedicine
2) Surgeon satisfaction with telemedicine
3) Comparison of telemedicine to in-person visits
4) The use of telemedicine in training and research
5) Variations in perspectives and practices worldwideRelease date: May 2020
Target audience: International
Principal Coordinating Investigator: Sravisht Iyer
Outcomes:
- Provider Confidence in the Telemedicine Spine Evaluation: Results from a Global Study
- Spine surgeon perceptions of the challenges and benefits of telemedicine: an international study
- Telemedicine in research and training: spine surgeon perspectives and practices worldwide
- Telemedicine in Spine Surgery: Global Perspectives and Practices
-
Diagnosis and treatment of subaxial facet cervical fracture: variability according to AO Spine classification system
Purpose: To assess the variability in the diagnosis of subaxial cervical facet injury, according to the AO Spine classification system, by spine surgeons in Latin America
Release date: May 2020
Target community: Latin America
Principal investigator: Juan Pablo Cabrera
Outcomes: -
-
COVID-19 & Spine Surgeon Global Impact Survey
Purpose: This survey addresses the impact that the COVID-19 virus has had on healthcare professional, in particular spine surgeons, and the inherent variations that may exist geographically and at different timepoints of virus severity upon society
Read moreRelease date: March 2020
Target community: International
Principal Coordinating Investigator: Dino Samartzis
Outcomes:
- The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Spine Surgeons Worldwide
- Learning from the past: did experience with previous epidemics help mitigate the impact of COVID-19 among spine surgeons worldwide?
- Spine Surgery and COVID-19: The Influence of Practice Type on Preparedness, Response, and Economic Impact
- COVID‐19: Current and future challenges in spine care and education ‐ a worldwide study
- Personal Health of Spine Surgeons Can Impact Perceptions, Decision-Making and Healthcare Delivery During the COVID-19 Pandemic - A Worldwide Study
- COVID-19 and the Rise of Virtual Medicine in Spine Surgery: A Worldwide Study
-
Management of a unilateral cervical facet joint dislocation in Latin America
Purpose: To analyze the variability in management and therapeutic alternatives in unilateral cervical facet joint dislocation without fracture in Latin America
Release date: March 2020
Target community: Latin America
Principal investigator: Andrei Joaquim
Outcomes:
-
Access to technology for the development of MISS techniques in Latin America
Purpose: To evaluate access to the technologies necessary to perform those surgeries in Latin America.
Release date: February 2020
Target community: Latin America
Principal investigator: Alfredo Guiroy
Outcomes:
-
Perceived impact of gender on spine surgery practice and training: a web-based survey
Purpose: To identify gender-based differences within spine surgery, trying to identify factors that may influence male and female careers.
Release date: September 2019
Target community: Latin America
Principal investigator: Asdrubal Falavigna
Outcomes: -
-
Use, Accessibility and Limitations of Intraoperative Neurophysiology in Latin America
Purpose: To describe the use, accessibility, and limitations of the intraoperative neuromonitoring in Latin America. See which countries have more difficulties on access and which pathologies surgeons believe neuromonitoring is more important in.
Release date: August 2019
Target community: Latin America
Principal investigator: Alfredo Guiroy
Outcomes:
-
International Survey of Anti-Coagulation Practices in Spine Surgery 1.0
Purpose: The objective of this survey is to assess the practices and variations towards anti-coagulation procedures of the international spine surgery community to establish future consensus and guidelines
Read moreRelease date: May 2019
Target community: International
Principal Coordinating Investigator: Dino Samartzis
Outcomes:
-
Surgery for acute traumatic spinal cord injury
Purpose: To evaluate the opinion and practices among spine surgeons on timing of decompression in patients with acute traumatic spinal cord injury.
Release date: March 2019
Target community: Latin America
Principal investigator: Asdrubal Falavigna and Alisson Telles
Outcomes: -