What? Arthritis affects one in five Canadians, making it the 3rd most common chronic health condition. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and is a major cause of disability in adults over the age of 55. People suffering from osteoarthritis experience joint pain, stiffness, swelling, and decreased function. One of the ways to reduce joint pain and improve functioning for patients with osteoarthritis of the hip and knee is through total joint replacement (TJR) surgery. In Canada, the number of patients who had TJR surgery increased by 20% between 2009 and 2014. 

Planned length of stay in hospital after TJR surgery is becoming increasingly shortened over the last decade through the introduction of multidisciplinary fast-track programs, patient education, multimodal analgesia and targeted physiotherapy. Studies of health care use, function, pain and other outcomes in the first few weeks following discharge however, have not yet been done in TJR patients who have experienced this shortened in-hospital recovery time.

Why? The goal of this project is to examine the relationship between pain, health care utilization and functional outcomes in the early post-discharge period in patients that undergo TJR for the treatment of osteoarthritis. The findings of this study will assist health care providers in tailoring prevention and treatment strategies to each patient, reducing post-operative adverse symptoms and improving healthcare quality.

How? Patients who have had TJR for the treatment of knee and hip will be followed up for 6 weeks after surgery. A rang of outcomes will be measured, including healthcare use, pain intensity, function, analgesic consumption, fatigue, depression, adverse effects, and satisfaction with discharge information.

Impact of findings: Results of this pilot study will allow us to explore new ways to help patients with prevention and treatment strategies to improve function, reduce pain, fatigue and other adverse symptoms experienced following TJR.