Meeting preoperative expectations is known to be of major influence on postoperative satisfaction after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Improved management of expectation, resulting in more realistic expectations can potentially lead to higher postoperative satisfaction. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of an additional preoperative education module, addressing realistic expectations for long-term functional recovery, on postoperative satisfaction and expectation fulfilment. In total, 204 primary TKA patients with osteoarthritis were enrolled in this randomized controlled trial (RCT). Patients were allocated to either usual preoperative education (control group) or usual education plus an additional module on realistic expectations (intervention group). Primary outcome was being very satisfied (numerical rating scale for satisfaction ≥ 8) with the treatment result at 12 months' follow-up. Other outcomes were change in preoperative expectations and postoperative expectation fulfilment.Aims
Methods
Whether to use total or unicompartmental knee
replacement (TKA/UKA) for end-stage knee osteoarthritis remains controversial.
Although UKA results in a faster recovery, lower rates of morbidity
and mortality and fewer complications, the long-term revision rate
is substantially higher than that for TKA. The effect of each intervention on
patient-reported outcome remains unclear. The aim of this study
was to determine whether six-month patient-reported outcome measures
(PROMs) are better in patients after TKA or UKA, using data from
a large national joint registry (NJR). We carried out a propensity score-matched cohort study which
compared six-month PROMs after TKA and UKA in patients enrolled
in the NJR for England and Wales, and the English national PROM
collection programme. A total of 3519 UKA patients were matched
to 10 557 TKAs. The mean six-month PROMs favoured UKA: the Oxford Knee Score
was 37.7 (95% confidence interval (CI) 37.4 to 38.0) for UKA and
36.1 (95% CI 35.9 to 36.3) for TKA; the mean EuroQol EQ-5D index
was 0.772 (95% CI 0.764 to 0.780) for UKA and 0.751 (95% CI 0.747
to 0.756) for TKA. UKA patients were more likely to achieve excellent
results (odds ratio (OR) 1.59, 95% CI 1.47 to 1.72, p <
0.001)
and to be highly satisfied (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.17 to 1.39, p <
0.001), and
were less likely to report complications than those who had undergone
TKA. UKA gives better early patient-reported outcomes than TKA; these
differences are most marked for the very best outcomes. Complications
and readmission are more likely after TKA. Although the data presented
reflect the short-term outcome, they suggest that the high revision
rate for UKA may not be because of poorer clinical outcomes. These
factors should inform decision-making in patients eligible for either
procedure. Cite this article:
