Abstract
Introduction The aim of this study was to assess the comparability of telephone questionnaire interviews with outpatient attendance for assessing hip function after Total Hip Replacement (THR).
Materials and Methods 100 patients attending the orthopaedic clinic for follow-up after undergoing THR were recruited to this study. A modified Harris Hip Score (HHS) was used as the questionnaire. This modified score assessed pain and function with 8 variables and had a maximum score of 91. The score thus obtained was multiplied by a factor of 1.1 to derive a score out of 100. Patients attending follow-up clinics were contacted by telephone between 1–2 weeks prior to their scheduled appointment and the questionnaire was completed. The questionnaires thus completed were compared to those completed in the clinic.
Results The mean HHS obtained with the telephone interview was 85.22 as compared to 86.11 obtained at direct interview with a Pearson’s correlation coefficient of (0.906) and p-value for the difference of (0.111). Out of a total of 800 variables assessed 725 (90.37%) had the same scores by the two methods and only 75 (9.67%) showed a discrepancy. Only 3 patients had a significant difference (more than 20 points) between the two methods.
Conclusion The study shows that there is no significant difference between scores obtained by telephone interview or direct interview using a modified HHS. Telephone interview is an important adjuvant tool for patient follow-up after THR and a useful adjunct to lifelong review.
Theses abstracts were prepared by Professor Roger Lemaire. Correspondence should be addressed to EFORT Central Office, Freihofstrasse 22, CH-8700 Küsnacht, Switzerland.
