Impact of evidence-based guidelines on healthcare utilisation and costs for disc related sciatica in the Netherlands: a population-based, cross-sectional study

Objective The aim of this study was to assess the impact of high-quality evidence supporting surgical treatment of lumbar disc herniation (LDH) on healthcare practice in the Netherlands by examining changes in healthcare utilisation, including the timing of surgery, and the healthcare costs for patients with LDH. Design A retrospective, cross-sectional study was performed using population-based, longitudinal data obtained from the Dutch Healthcare Authority (2007–2020) and NIVEL’s primary care (2012–2020) administrative databases. Setting The study was conducted within the healthcare system of... Mehr ...