Currently, the global population is experiencing a shift in its age structure due to decreasing mortality rates and increasing longevity. With the aging of the population, clinicians worldwide will be required to manage an increasing number of chronic, non-communicable diseases, including several degenerative, non-traumatic spinal disorders. Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is a progressive spine disease that can manifest as an array of neurological signs and symptoms, such as hyperreflexia, atrophy of intrinsic hand muscles and gait dysfunction. Furthermore, patients with DCM may have substantial functional impairment, significantly reduced quality of life and be unable to perform simple activities of daily living. With the increasing disease prevalence, clinicians must design and implement effective treatment strategies for patients with DCM in order to optimize outcomes, reduce the risk of catastrophic events and lessen future cost burden.
Recently, we have developed clinical practice guidelines to outline how to best manage patients with mild, moderate and severe myelopathy and non-myelopathic patients with evidence of cord compression. These guidelines will hopefully improve outcomes and reduce morbidity in patients with DCM by promoting standardization of care, decreasing the heterogeneity of management strategies and encouraging clinicians to make evidence-informed decisions. In order to do this, these guidelines must be effectively disseminated and translated into clinical practice. The objective of this study is to assess barriers to implementation, develop a knowledge translation plan, evaluate uptake by clinicians across various specialties and determine the impact of these guidelines on patient outcomes.