Patients' expectations about total knee arthroplasty outcomes

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Patient-Reported Outcomes

Background:

• Knee osteoarthritis (OA) significantly impacts patient function and quality of life.
• Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a common surgical intervention for advanced OA.
• Understanding patient expectations is crucial for managing post-operative outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine pre-operative patient expectations regarding recovery after total knee arthroplasty (TKA).
• To identify patient characteristics associated with varying recovery time expectations.

Main Methods:

• 236 knee OA patients completed pre-operative questionnaires assessing recovery expectations for 10 functional activities.
• Expectations were measured on an ordinal scale and dichotomized into short-term (<6 weeks) and long-term (≥3 months) recovery.
• Multivariate logistic regression analyzed pre-operative factors influencing recovery expectations.

Main Results:

• Most patients (over 65%) expected functional recovery within 3 months post-TKA.
• Over 80% anticipated performing 8 of 10 activities within 3 months.
• Younger patients, males, and those with lower pain and better general health reported shorter recovery expectations.

Conclusions:

• Pre-operative patient expectations for TKA recovery are generally optimistic.
• Patient characteristics, including demographics and pre-operative health status, correlate with recovery expectations.
• Evaluating these pre-operative factors is important for managing patient expectations post-surgery.