[Factors affecting the maintenance of occupational activity over a 2-3-year period after total hip replacement]

The purpose of this paper was to assess the occupational activity in patients after hip replacement over a 2-3-year post operational period and to analyze the effect of selected factors (age, gender, body mass index (BMI), functional state and self-assessed health status) on this activity.

In the research 107 people (56 women and 51 men) participated. The average age of the subject's was 55.1 years. A standardized author's survey questionnaire, including questions about personal and clinical data, occupational activity and self-assessment of health status, was applied. The body mass and height were measured and the BMI index was calculated. The 100 points Harris Hip Score (HHS) was used to assess the functional state in the respondents.

After the operation about 60% of the patients were not occupationally active; 44 (41.1%) respondents received the state health benefit, 18 (16,8%) respondents were eligible for pension benefit, and 2 (1.9%) respondents were unemployed with benefit. No one unemployed before the operation undertook work afterwards. Neither gender nor the character of the job or BMI exerted statistically significant effect on the occupational activity after the operation. Significant differences were noted in undertaking the occupational activity after the operation in patients with different level of functional efficiency assessed with the use of HHS (p = 0.0350) and different level of self-assessed health statuse (p = 0.0057).

More than half of the respondents have not returned to work after total hip replacement, while people doing intellectual work most frequently returned to occupation after surgery. Age, functional efficiency, and self-assessed health status of the patient had a significant influence on their return to work. Med Pr 2018;69(2):191-198.