Social Risk Determinants for Successful Same Calendar Day Discharge in Total Joint Arthroplasty

While many studies have examined the impact of comorbidities on the success of same calendar day discharge (SCDD) in total joint arthroplasty (TJA), literature surrounding the impact of social determinants is lacking.

We sought to investigate the relationship between various social determinants and success of SCDD after primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

We conducted a retrospective review of 1160 THA and 1813 TKA performed at a single academic institution between November 2020 and August 2022. Social factors including substance use, occupation, marital status, income, and participation in physical exercise were included. In addition, aspects of discharge planning were reviewed such as living situation and transportation details.

Overall, 952 (32%) patients had successful SCDD, whereas 2021 (68%) patients were discharged on postoperative day 1 (POD1) or greater. Successful SCDD patients were more likely to have health care (4.8% vs 2.5%) and active (5.4% vs 4.6%) rather than sedentary occupations, be married (79.6% vs 67.4%), have access to transportation (95.6% vs 92.9%), live in a higher median income area ($64,044 [16,183] vs $61,572 [14,594]), and exercise weekly (62.6% vs 23.9%). Interestingly, the successful patients had more stories in their homes (1.62 [0.56] vs 1.43 [0.53]), more stairs to enter their homes (5.19 [5.22] vs 4.60 [5.24]), lived farther from the hospital (43.3 [138.0] vs 32.0 [75.9] miles), and a higher prevalence of alcohol use (60.7% vs 44.7%) and tobacco use (19.3% vs 17.3%).

These findings may help arthroplasty surgeons to better understand the social factors that contribute to successful SCDD in TJA patients, ultimately aiding in patient selection and preoperative counseling.