Table 1. Outcomes Considered Important by Patients with Back or Abdominal Pain, Ranked by Their Importance Ratings^*

Outcome	Importance
1. To find the cause of the pain	4.9
2. To trust that the treatment plan is appropriate	4.7
3. To return to normal life functions	4.7
4. To understand what may happen to you because of the problem	4.6
5. To prevent this problem from occurring again	4.6
6. To prevent long-term loss of function	4.6
7. To return to work and productivity as soon as possible	4.5
8. To experience no complications or side effects	4.3
9. To be assured that no unexpected, unrelated problems develop	4.2
10. To get rapid and complete relief from pain and other symptoms	4.2
11. To avoid being hospitalized	4.1
12. To avoid surgery	4.1
13. To avoid placing a burden or stress on family members	4.1
14. To minimize or avoid the need for further tests and medical visits	3.9
15. To minimize radiation exposure in the course of my care	3.9
16. To avoid personal costs for care	3.9
17. To minimize or avoid use of medication	3.8
18. To return to leisure/sports activities as soon as possible	3.8
19. To minimize discomfort from the tests used to assess the pain	3.7

↵* Ratings were made on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 is “not at all important” and 5 is “extremely important.”