The Association Between Preoperative Education Level and Long-Term Outcomes After Hip Arthroscopy

Area of Science:

• Orthopaedic Surgery
• Health Outcomes Research
• Social Determinants of Health

Background:

• Social determinants of health (SDoH), including education, impact surgical outcomes.
• Understanding patient preoperative educational attainment (PEA) is crucial for predicting postoperative results.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the link between PEA and SDoH.
• To evaluate the association of PEA with long-term patient-reported outcomes (PROs).
• To determine the relationship between PEA and revision surgery or total hip arthroplasty (THA) rates post-hip arthroscopy.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study of 164 patients undergoing primary hip arthroscopy.
• Patients categorized into two PEA groups: college or less (CL) vs. graduate or doctorate (GD).
• Long-term PROs (mHHS, iHOT-33, NAHS) and revision/THA rates compared between groups over an average 11-year follow-up.

Main Results:

• GD PEA patients showed significantly higher mHHS and iHOT-33 scores at 8-year follow-up.
• GD PEA patients had greater odds of achieving Patient Acceptable Symptom State (PASS).
• Lower PEA was linked to greater socioeconomic disadvantage; revision and THA rates were similar between groups.

Conclusions:

• Higher preoperative educational attainment is associated with superior long-term PROs after hip arthroscopy.
• PEA is a significant factor influencing patient outcomes and socioeconomic status.
• Education level can serve as a valuable tool for surgeons in predicting functional recovery and secondary surgery risk.