Planning ahead for better outcomes: preparation for joint replacement surgery begins at home!

For 15 years, a small community hospital has sent registered nurses into the home to do a preoperative visit with patients planning joint replacement surgery. These visits help the patient by providing a better understanding of what to expect from the preadmission visit through the recovery period. It also ensures a safe environment for the recovery process whether at home or alternative environment with family/friends or at a short-term rehabilitation facility. Its success in patient and nurse satisfaction has not only saved it from cost cutting measures but also allowed it to expand over the years to include follow-up home visits and now includes patients undergoing shoulder replacement. This was a great undertaking for a hospital of this size in 1993 and is one of the few, if not the only, such home visit programs in Massachusetts, doing both pre and postoperative visits, funded by a hospital, utilizing nursing hours.