From chronic neck pain to cervical spine surgery: a qualitative descriptive patient journey mapping study of health-management needs among Chinese patients with cervical spondylotic radiculopathy

Patients with cervical spondylotic radiculopathy (CSR) pass through a care pathway that spans multiple stages and healthcare settings, from disease onset and help-seeking to surgical treatment and post-operative recovery. Previous research has focused mainly on clinical treatment and perioperative management, with insufficient attention to the service gaps along this care pathway and to patients’ support needs. This study aimed to identify improvable service points along the CSR care pathway from the patient perspective. A qualitative descriptive patient journey mapping study was conducted. The Chronic Illness Trajectory Model(CITM) was used as the theoretical scaffold, and Patient Journey Mapping (PJM) was used as an analytical and visualization tool. Framework analysis, integrating inductive coding with deductive organization, was applied to analyse the health-management needs of patients with CSR across disease progression and care experiences. Fifteen patients with CSR undergoing surgical treatment were recruited by purposive sampling. Two trained researchers conducted semi-structured interviews at three time points: the Pre-hospitalization period (a retrospective interview on the first day of admission), one day before surgery, and one to two days after surgery (all post-operative interviews were completed before discharge). A total of 45 interviews were completed. The patient journey map showed stage-specific service gaps along the CSR care pathway. In the early phase of the illness, gaps were manifested as insufficient health information and an unclear diagnostic and treatment pathway; in the preoperative phase, as inadequate informational and psychological support; and in the early post-operative phase, patients still had difficulty mastering rehabilitation knowledge and expressed explicit anticipated needs and concerns regarding the linkage to rehabilitation resources and continuing professional support after discharge. These findings suggest that patients’ needs for continuous, well-matched support as they move along the care pathway have not been adequately met. The care needs of patients with CSR extend across the entire disease course. The current service system still has room for improvement in informational support and in linking resources, and patients hold explicit concerns about continuity of care after discharge. Identifying service gaps from a patient journey perspective can provide a preliminary basis for the subsequent design and evaluation of patient-centred, continuous care support. Not applicable.