FREE LESSON · Prepare for your visit
Understanding outcome questionnaires
Disability measures and decision preparation serve different purposes
What the measures describe
The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) measures low-back disability. The Neck Disability Index (NDI) measures neck disability. PROMIS questionnaires describe areas such as physical function and pain interference.
How to use the results
Repeat the same measures with your care team to track change. A score describes burden and function. It does not establish whether surgery is appropriate.
Different from decision readiness
ODI, NDI and PROMIS describe symptoms and function. The course’s separate decision-readiness report organizes understanding, expectations, concerns and preparation. Its traffic lights are proposed educational routing, not a validated clinical instrument.
The clinical context
Symptoms, examination, imaging, prior treatment, urgency and your preferences all belong in the decision. There is no universal questionnaire cutoff for surgery.
Your next step
Ask which questionnaire your team uses and when to repeat it. This website does not reproduce or calculate those instruments.
Your next step · About 2 minutes
Separate function from preparation
Ask which outcome questionnaire your team uses. Separately, note what information you still need to feel prepared.
Use the free consultation worksheet or write your answer on paper.
This marks reading progress only; it does not assess understanding or readiness.
These lessons support a discussion with your clinical team. They do not determine your diagnosis or recommend an operation.
Educational content adapted from the course of Joel A. Bauman, MD · Board-certified spinal neurosurgeon · Updated .
Adapted from the supplied patient course, original slide 5. Patient course adapted October 2026. No questionnaire scoring or procedure-specific research benchmarks are provided here.