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Quality of Life Measured after Joint Replacement

Posted on: 07/21/2004
In the past the success of total hip and total knee replacements was measured by how many complications occurred after surgery or by how long the patient lived. Today there have been many improvements in the materials and methods used for joint replacement. Patient quality of life (QOL) has become a new way to measure success.

In this report, researchers reviewed studies done over the past 23 years that focused on QOL as the main measure of success. QOL is measured using patient surveys. QOL includes such things as personal satisfaction or social effects of surgery on daily living.

The authors report on how these studies were done, the measures taken, and the results. The time frame for each study ranged from seven days to seven years. Here's what the authors found:

  • Many different tools are used to measure QOL. There isn't one main or "best" tool available.
  • Age doesn't seem to make a difference in the results. Younger patients may get better physical results, but patients of all ages are happy with the outcome.
  • Men seem to have a better result after hip or knee replacement than women. Men may be less disabled before the operation.
  • Patients do better after total hip replacement compared to total knee replacement.
  • Patients with osteoarthritis have a better result than patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This may be because patients with RA also have problems in the arms and hands.
  • General health and other health problems are important factors in the results of surgery.

    The authors conclude that studies like this are needed to show the value of total hip and knee replacements. They think it's time to move past the disease itself and look at how treatment affects patient's lives.

  • References:
    Olivier Ethgen, PhD, et al. Health-Related Quality of Life in Total Hip and Total Knee Arthroplasty. In The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. May 2004. Vol. 86-A. No. 5. Pp. 963-972.

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