Adoption and acceptability of a perioperative nutrition program among total joint arthroplasty patients

Perioperative nutrition interventions improve postoperative outcomes after total joint arthroplasty (TJA). Despite this improvement, adoption and acceptability of nutrition interventions among orthopedic patients have never been assessed, even though they are key factors in patient adherence and practitioner buy-in. To address this knowledge gap, the adoption and acceptability of a 4-week perioperative nutrition program were explored.

Patients who underwent TJA at a single orthopedic clinic in South Bend, Indiana, USA, were invited to participate. Eligible patients were informed of the nutrition program > 2 weeks prior to their scheduled surgery. Two weeks postoperatively, patients were administered a digital questionnaire that captured their demographic information, whether they purchased the nutrition program or not, reasons for non-participation, and acceptability of the nutrition program among those who participated based on the theoretical framework of acceptability.

A total of 341 patients were approached, of which 208 consented. There were no demographic differences between the participants who purchased the nutrition program (105) and those who did not (103). The majority of the participants who purchased the nutrition program (78.7%, n = 85) were satisfied with it, and 65.7% (n = 71) believed it improved their surgical recovery. The most common reason cited for non-participation was cost.

A nutrition program, implemented using a pragmatic adjunctive model, was adopted by many of the patients who underwent arthroplasty, regardless of demographics. The nutrition program was generally well-accepted by those who participated in it. Considerations around perceived cost need to be addressed in future implementations of the program.