A simple patient-driven tool to measure the results of total knee arthroplasty

A telephone interview was conducted with 170 consecutive patients who received a total knee arthroplasty (TKA), a minimum of two years postoperatively. Patients were askedhow satisfied they were with the results. They were asked to compare pain before and after the surgery, and function of the kneebefore and after surgery. Responses were obtained from 160 patients. Ninty-five percent of patients were satisfied, with 46% very satisfied and 40% extremely satisfied. Ninety-two percent had pain which was significantly better, or no pain. Eighty percent could do significantly more or everything they wanted. A simple survey like this would provide meaningful feedback for individual surgeons, specific centers, or regarding specific implants, which could be used to improve the quality of TKA