Spinal fusion surgery involves many different conversations over time ...

The preoperative period is so much about discovery and involves many different conversations over time. Everyone has their own piece that they’re concerned about: the family members, the surgeon, the specialists, the anathesiologist. You can’t do this in one office visit. The children are too complicated and the past medical history too complex. Recurrent office visits and phone calls brings it all together to inform how best to proceed. It’s also essentially impossible for a parent to absorb everything in one or two office visits. So medical providers should give them multiple sources of information and means to absorb it. It’s best not to force the decision but think of it as an educational process that will ultimately lead to the best decision.