Health-related quality of life in total hip and total knee arthroplasty. A qualitative and systematic review of the literature

BACKGROUND: Total hip and total knee arthroplasties are well accepted as reliable and suitable surgical procedures to return patients to function. Health-related quality-of-life instruments have been used to document outcomes in order to optimize the allocation of resources. The objective of this study was to review the literature regarding the outcomes of total hip and knee arthroplasties as evaluated by health-related quality-of-life instruments. METHODS: The Medline and EMBASE medical literature databases were searched, from January 1980 to June 2003, to identify relevant studies. Studies were eligible for review if they met the following criteria: (1). the language was English or French, (2). at least one well-validated and self-reported health-related quality of life instrument was used, and (3). a prospective cohort study design was used. RESULTS: Of the seventy-four studies selected for the review, thirty-two investigated both total hip and total knee arthroplasties, twenty-six focused on total hip arthroplasty, and sixteen focused on total knee arthroplasty exclusively. The most common diagnosis was osteoarthritis. The duration of follow-up ranged from seven days to seven years, with the majority of studies describing results at six to twelve months. The Short Form-36 and the Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index, the most frequently used instruments, were employed in forty and twenty-eight studies, respectively. Seventeen studies used a utility index. Overall, total hip and total knee arthroplasties were found to be quite effective in terms of improvement in health-related quality-of-life dimensions, with the occasional exception of the social dimension. Age was not found to be an obstacle to effective surgery, and men seemed to benefit more from the intervention than did women. When improvement was found to be modest, the role of comorbidities was highlighted. Total hip arthroplasty appears to return patients to function to a greater extent than do knee procedures, and primary surgery offers greater improvement than does revision. Patients who had poorer preoperative health-related quality of life were more likely to experience greater improvement. CONCLUSIONS: Health-related quality-of-life data are valuable, can provide relevant health-status information to health professionals, and should be used as a rationale for the implementation of the most adequate standard of care. Additional knowledge and scientific dissemination of surgery outcomes should help to ensure better management of patients undergoing total hip or total knee arthroplasty and to optimize the use of these procedures.     

Validity and responsiveness of the Knee Society Clinical Rating System in comparison with the SF-36 and WOMAC.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to validate the Knee Society Clinical Rating System (knee and function scores) and to compare its responsiveness with that of the Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36). METHODS: Patients were recruited as part of a prospective observational study of the outcomes of primary total knee arthroplasty for the treatment of osteoarthritis in four centers in the United States, six centers in the United Kingdom, and two centers in Australia. Independent research assistants at each site collected the Knee Society clinical data. The WOMAC, SF-36, patient satisfaction, and demographic data were obtained with self-administered questionnaires. RESULTS: A total of 862 eligible patients were recruited, and complete preoperative and twelve-month data were available for 697 (80.9%) of them. The mean age was seventy years (range, thirty-eight to ninety years), and the majority of the patients (58.9%) were women. Low correlations were found among the items of both the knee and the function score at both assessment times. The Knee Society pain and function scores had moderate-to-strong correlations with the corresponding pain and function domains of the WOMAC and SF-36 (r = 0.31 to 0.72). Measurement of the standardized response mean showed the Knee Society knee score to be more responsive (standardized response mean, 2.2) than the WOMAC (standardized response means, 2.0 for pain and 1.4 for function) and the SF-36 (standardized response means, 1.0 for bodily pain and 1.1 for physical functioning). The Knee Society function score was the least responsive measure (standardized response mean, 0.8). Correlation of changes in scores at twelve months with patient reports of satisfaction and improvement in health status showed the WOMAC and SF-36 to be more responsive than the Knee Society scores. CONCLUSIONS: There is a poor correlation among the items of the Knee Society Clinical Rating System, but the rating system has adequate convergent construct validity. The WOMAC and SF-36 are more responsive measures of outcome of total knee arthroplasty. As they are less labor-intensive for researchers to use and as use of these instruments removes observer bias from the study design, they are preferable for knee arthroplasty outcome studies.     

Personality,function and satisfaction in patients undergoing total hip or knee replacement

Background

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between personality and joint-specific function, general physical and general mental health in patients undergoing total hip (THA) and knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Methods

One hundred and eighty-four patients undergoing THA and 205 undergoing TKA were assessed using the Eysneck Personality Questionnaire, brief version (EPQ-BV). General physical and mental health was measured using the Short-Form 12 (SF-12) questionnaire and the EuroQol (EQ-5D). Joint-specific function was measured using the Oxford hip or knee score.

Results

The “unstable introvert” personality type was associated with poorer pre-operative function and health in patients with hip arthrosis. In patients with knee arthrosis, there was poorer general health in those with “stable extrovert” and “unstable introvert” types. Personality was not an independent predictor of outcome following TKA or THA. The main predictor was pre-operative function and health. Comorbidity was an important covariate of both pre-operative and postoperative function.

Conclusions

Personality may play a role in the interaction of these disease processes with function and health perception. It may also affect the response and interpretation of psychometric and patient-reported outcome measures. It may be important to characterise and identify these traits in potential arthroplasty patients as it may help deliver targeted education and management to improve outcomes in certain groups.     

Patient's personality predicts recovery after total knee arthroplasty: a retrospective study

Background

Increasing attention to psychological determinants may be useful in identifying patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty who may be at risk for poor postoperative outcome. However, little is known about the relationship between personality as a comprehensive reflection of stable psychological states and outcome after total knee arthroplasty. The purpose of this study was to describe the relationship between patients’ diverse personalities and clinical outcomes.

Methods

We recruited 387 patients undergoing primary total knee arthroplasty to complete the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) and collected demographic information before surgery. Prior to and 6 months after surgery, we used two validated functional instruments to assess satisfaction rate—the Short Form Health Survey of 36 questions (SF-36), and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC).

Results

Neuroticism, especially the classic type, tended to be displayed more frequently by women and younger patients. A statistically significant positive relationship was seen between outcome scores and extraversion levels in rating scales; there was a negative relationship between outcome scores especially from the SF-36 Mental Component Summary (MCS), WOMAC pain scores, and neuroticism subscales scores. Among four types of personality, sanguine patients displayed the best clinical outcomes and melancholic patients the worst. Despite good clinical outcomes, including in pain relief and functional improvement for choleric patients, satisfaction rate was unexpectedly the lowest.

Conclusions

Our results may help clinicians identify patients at risk for poor postoperative clinical outcomes and thus proceed with better communication with patients. Also, our results may indicate conducting individual attention during the perioperative period based on patient personality determined according to the EPQ in order to help attain better recovery.     

Comparison of the responsiveness of the SF-36 and WOMAC in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty

This study examines the responsiveness of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and Short Form-36 (SF-36) in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty. Eighty-nine patients completed the WOMAC and SF-36 preoperatively and postoperatively. Standardized response means (SRMs) and effect sizes (ES) were used to measure responsiveness. Mean follow-up was 17 months. The SRMs for the WOMAC ranged from -0.93 to -1.49, and the ES ranged from -1.02 to -1.53. The SRMs for the SF-36 ranged from 0.22 to 1.64, and the ES ranged from 0.20 to 1.97. The highest values occurred with the physical functioning, bodily pain, and Physical Component Summary Scales. This study demonstrates a similar level of responsiveness of the WOMAC and several components of the SF-36. This suggests that the isolated use of the SF-36 may be adequate to monitor outcomes after total hip arthroplasty. There may still be a role for the WOMAC when comparing outcomes of specific designs or techniques of total hip arthroplasty.     

Is Postoperative Function After Hip or Knee Arthroplasty Influenced by Preoperative Functional Levels?

Our objective was to evaluate functional outcomes after surgery in a subgroup of patients presenting for hip and knee surgery who had low functional scores before surgery. One hundred twenty-seven unilateral total hip and knee arthroplasty patients were assessed preoperatively and 3 consecutive years after arthroplasty using: Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), Short Form 36 (SF-36), and the Quality of Well-Being index scales. Patients were placed into 2 groups based on preoperative WOMAC function scores; 51 points or more, worse functioning group, and less than 51 points, higher functioning group. Regardless of time, the worse functioning group in both procedures performed worse on the Quality of Well-Being index, SF-36 (function score), SF-36 (social score), and WOMAC total and pain scores (P ≤ .0001). The greatest change (range, 2%-638%) for all variables in both groups for both procedures occurred during the first year. Patients that had severe/extreme functional impairment had worse 3-year outcomes compared with patients getting surgery when their functional levels were better.     

Validity of a short-term quality of life questionnaire in patients undergoing joint replacement: the quality of recovery-40

One hundred thirty-two patients undergoing total hip or knee arthroplasty were evaluated before and after surgery with the Quality of Recovery-40 (QoR-40) and the Short Form 12 (SF-12) questionnaires seven times over a 4-month period, with the objective of comparing their psychometric properties. Physical dimensions of the QoR-40 and SF-12 were not related in the days after surgery but moderately related over the first month. Only the change in score for the physical independence dimension of the QoR-40 exceeded measurement error. Effect sizes were larger for the QoR-40 within the first month post-surgery and larger for the SF-12 past 1 month. Effect sizes were larger for the physical dimensions of both instruments compared to the psychological dimensions. Only the physical independence dimension of the QoR-40 appears useful to assess the quality of life in the first month following surgery.     

Responsiveness differences in outcome instruments after revision hip arthroplasty: What are the implications?

Responsiveness to change is an important psychometric property of an outcome instrument. Assessment of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is critical to outcome assessment after total joint replacement, a surgery aimed at improving pain, function and HRQoL of the patients undergoing these procedures. In a recent study, Shi et al. examined the responsiveness to change of various subscales of two instruments, physician-administered Harris Hip Score and patient self-administered Short Form-36 (SF-36), 6 months after revision total hip arthroplasty. The responsiveness statistics for both scales were reasonable, higher for Harris Hip Score than SF-36. This is the first study to examine responsiveness of these instruments in revision THA patients in a systematic fashion.     

The Development and Validation of a More Discriminating Functional Hip Score for Research

Background

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is a commonly performed procedure with increasing frequency in the young adult. While most available outcome measures can document postoperative improvement in pain and function, they do not measure the ability to perform high-demand activities.

Questions/Purposes

We present and validate a user-friendly discriminating hip scoring system (the functional hip score) for use in younger, “high-demand” patients undergoing hip arthroplasty surgery.

Methods

We studied 38 subjects without any hip symptoms and 72 patients undergoing THA for osteoarthritis of the hip. Preprocedure and postprocedure scores were collected in the latter cohort of patients. SF-36 and WOMAC scores were used to validate our functional scoring system. The functional hip score was tested for internal consistency, reliability, and criterion validity.

Results

The functional hip score had high test–retest reliability, internal consistency, and criterion validity. This can be used to measure functional outcome in the younger high-demand adult patient undergoing THA.

Conclusion

Our discriminating functional hip score can reliably measure improvement in hip function in the younger high-demand adult. Current scoring systems have ceiling effects and are unable to differentiate a high performing hip replacement from the routine hip replacement. The use of functional tasks that are measured objectively allows better documentation of improvement in hip function.     

Change in pain and function while waiting for major joint arthroplasty

The objective of this study was to examine the change in pain and physical function that occurs while waiting for major arthroplasty. Data were collected prospectively from a cohort of 313 patients who were waiting > 1 month for total hip arthroplasty or total knee arthroplasty. The WOMAC and the SF-36 health status instruments were administered at the time the patient was placed on the waiting list and again just before surgery. Minimal amounts of change in pain and physical and psychosocial function occurred for hip and knee arthroplasty patients while they waited. Overall, waiting time did not appear to have a negative impact on the amount of pain and dysfunction experienced.     

Comparative outcomes of total joint arthroplasty

A prospective pre- and postoperative general health/quality-of-life factor comparison, using the Rand SF-36 Health Status Questionnaire (TyPE Specification, Quality Quest [Health Outcomes Institute, Minneapolis, MN]), was carried out on a consecutive series of patients with diagnosed osteoarthritis undergoing total hip and knee arthroplasty between March 1991 and March 1994. Study groups consisted of 85 total hip arthroplasty patients, 93 total knee arthroplasty patients, and 65 single-stage bilateral total knee arthroplasty patients, all treated at the same specialty hospital, under the care of three senior orthopaedic surgeons. The average patient age was 69 years. Significant improvements in quality-of-life measures including physical functioning, social functioning, role functioning/physical problem, role functioning/emotional problem, mental health, energy/fatigue, pain, and change in health were noted in all hip and knee arthroplasty patients 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years after surgery (P < .05). There appeared to be no significant differences in quality-of-life measures between hip and knee arthroplasty patients. Results therefore indicate that total hip and knee arthroplasty significantly improve the functional status and quality of life among patients suffering from osteoarthritis.     

Patient-reported health status in total joint replacement.

A total of 176 consecutive patients undergoing either total hip or total knee arthroplasty were given SF-36 surveys at 4 time intervals: preoperatively and at 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year postoperatively. Transformed SF-36 scores were compared at the preoperative and 1-year time intervals between several demographic variables, including age, gender, number of sides replaced (unilateral vs bilateral procedure), and type of joint replacement surgery (knee or hip). Joint replacement surgery seemed to correct various self-reported health status differences that appeared preoperatively in demographic groups.     

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons lower limb outcomes assessment instruments. Reliability, validity, and sensitivity to change

BACKGROUND: The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) has developed an array of outcomes assessment instruments designed for the efficient collection of outcomes data from patients of all ages with musculoskeletal conditions in all body regions. The Lower Limb Instruments were developed through a process of literature review, consensus-building, and field-testing. METHODS: The instruments were distributed to a total of 290 subjects in twenty orthopaedic practices throughout the United States and Canada. Of the 290 patients, seventy each had a diagnosis in the categories of foot and ankle, sports/knee, and hip and knee and forty each had a diagnosis in the categories of trauma and rehabilitation. Retests to be taken twenty-four hours after the first test were distributed to subsamples of patients for each instrument. Seventy-one one-year follow-up questionnaires (twenty-five Sports/Knee, twenty-five Foot and Ankle, sixteen Hip and Knee, and five Lower Limb Core instruments) were returned. RESULTS: The Lower Limb Core Scale and the Hip and Knee Core Scale, each consisting of seven items addressing pain, stiffness and swelling, and function, performed at an acceptable level. Additional Sports/Knee and Foot and Ankle Modules proved to have internal and retest reliability of 0.80 or better, comparable with the values for well-established measures such as the Short Form-36 (SF-36). All of the new scales were moderately to strongly correlated with other measures of pain and function, such as physician ratings, the SF-36, and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). Seventy-one patients provided follow-up information for the analysis of sensitivity to change. The Lower Limb Core was found to contribute independently to the prediction of the transition score based on the patient and physician assessments of change. CONCLUSIONS: The AAOS Lower Limb Instruments for outcomes assessment are highly reliable and are correlated with other measures for similar constructs. They are also sensitive to change in patient status. The Lower Limb Core Scale may be used with attribution of pain either to the lower limb or to a specific joint or side without sacrificing reliability. Combined with the SF-36, the AAOS outcomes assessment instruments comprehensively and efficiently measure outcomes in orthopaedic patients with lower-limb conditions.     

Pitfalls of using patient recall to derive preoperative status in outcome studies of total knee arthroplasty

BACKGROUND: It is essential to adjust for the level of preoperative pain and functional status when measuring the outcome of total knee arthroplasty. Some study designs rely on postoperative patient recall to derive preoperative status. In this study, we compared prospectively collected preoperative data with data derived from patient recall of preoperative status three months after total knee arthroplasty. METHODS: Patients were recruited as part of a prospective observational study of the outcome of primary total knee arthroplasty for osteoarthritis at four centers in the United States, six centers in the United Kingdom, and two centers in Australia. Independent research assistants recruited patients and collected data with use of a uniform documentation system preoperatively and three months postoperatively. Preoperative data included the findings of a clinical history and physical examination, demographic information, socioeconomic status, and scores from two health-status instruments: the Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36). Postoperative data included the WOMAC and SF-36 scores and patient recall of preoperative status on selected items from these health-status measures. RESULTS: A total of 862 patients were recruited, and recall data were available for 770 patients (89%). The mean age was seventy years (range, thirty-eight to ninety years), and 59% of the patients were women. Comparisons of prospective and recall data on individual pain and function items showed poor-to-fair agreement (weighted kappa, 0.20 to 0.41). Patients recalled significantly more pain than they had reported preoperatively (p < 0.001), but there were random recollection errors for the function items. There was only moderate correlation between the prospective and recalled summary scores for pain (Spearman r = 0.53) and function (Spearman r = 0.48). In addition, 61% of the recalled pain scores and 50% of the recalled function scores differed from the prospective scores by more than 10 points (10% of the total range). CONCLUSIONS: Patients' recall of preoperative pain and functional status three months after total knee arthroplasty demonstrated only moderate agreement with what the patients had reported prospectively. Researchers who use recall data to derive preoperative status must recognize these limitations when drawing conclusions about the effectiveness of total knee arthroplasty.     

Return to sport after lower limb arthroplasty - why not for all?

BACKGROUND Total hip and knee replacements are being performed in increasing numbers in progressively younger patients with higher activity demands. Many such patients have expectations of returning to athletic activity post-operatively yet are not always able to do so and the reasons behind this have not been extensively examined. We hypothesise that any reasons for a failure to return to athletic activity post-operatively are multi-factorial.AIM To quantify the return to athletic activity following lower limb joint arthroplasty and understand qualitative reasons for altered activity participation.METHODS A single centre, single surgeon retrospective questionnaire for hip and knee arthroplasty patients under age 60 years, minimum two years post-surgery with exclusion criteria of multiple degenerative joint involvement and multiple medical co-morbidities. Outcomes were validated joint-specific(Oxford hip and knee) and lifestyle questionnaires [short form 12(SF-12) and University of California, Los Angeles(UCLA)] and an activity questionnaire assessing ability participation in athletic activity post-operatively. Statistical analysis was performed on the validated outcome data, including comparison between hip and knee replacements. Frequency tables were produced to quantify the different athletic activities participated in by patients.RESULTS Responses were received from 64 patients(80% response rate). There was a statistically significant improvement in Oxford hip and knee scores following surgery. SF-12 scores also improved for all patients, but no statistically significant difference was seen between joints(P = 0.88). Mean UCLA scores pre-operatively were 7.67 and at two years post-operatively were 7.69, with no statistically significant change(P = 0.91). All patients reported high satisfaction and improved ability to perform athletic activity at a higher frequency compared to pre-operatively. The most common reasons for changing activity participation were not wanting to stress their joint replacement or instructions by other doctors or the lead surgeon. There was no difference in the responses to the questionnaire based on type of joint replacement(P = 0.995).CONCLUSION Patients receiving a joint replacement are able to participate in athletic activity to high levels and are satisfied with their outcomes. Reasons for non-participation are multi-factorial.     

Improved clinical outcomes after high-flexion total knee arthroplasty: a 5-year follow-up study

The purpose of this study was to determine if high-flexion total knee arthroplasty resulted in improved outcomes compared with conventional total knee arthroplasty. This was a prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled trial involving 76 patients over 5 years. We compared the postoperative flexion range, Knee Society scores, Oxford knee scores, and SF-36 scores between 2 groups. The high-flexion group was able to achieve a significant sustainable increase in postoperative knee flexion angle; and this correlated to a significant improvement in the General Health, Vitality, and Physical Functioning scales of SF-36 at 5 years postoperatively. Our results signify that high-flexion total knee arthroplasty has additional benefits to the quality of life in patients who require higher degrees of knee flexion in their activities of daily living.     

Outcome assessment in osteoarthritic patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty

The purpose of this study was to better understand the relationship between knee pain, locomotor functional status, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes in osteoarthritic (OA) patients undergoing primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Nine OA patients were recruited. Pain, locomotor function, and HRQoL were evaluated one day before and 6 months after TKA by means of a visual analogue scale (VAS) for knee pain, the function score of the Knee Society (KS), the metabolic cost of gait (C), the total mechanical work during gait (Wtot), and the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 Health Survey (MOS SF-36). Our results showed a decrease in knee pain and metabolic cost of gait and an improvement in quality of life. Moreover we showed a relationship between: (1) the VAS score for knee pain, the function score of the KS, and MOS SF-36 Physical Functioning, Role-Physical, and Bodily Pain subscales; and (2) the C, the Wtot, and the MOS SF-36 Vitality subscale.     

Development and Validation of a New Evaluation System for Patients With a Floor-based Lifestyle: The Korean Knee Score

Background

Patients’ perspectives on functioning and health have been increasingly recognized as a crucial aspect of health care, leading to the use of patient-reported instruments for outcome assessment. However, available instruments for total knee arthroplasty do not reflect the floor-based lifestyle with high knee flexion of eastern Asia.

Questions/purposes

We therefore (1) describe a novel patient-generated knee evaluation instrument, the Korean knee score (KKS), to reflect floor-based lifestyles with high knee flexion that included questions regarding health-related quality of life; (2) determined the reliability of the questionnaire; and (3) performed limited validation studies.

Methods

The KKS was developed by a committee of 10 experts from 10 institutes nationwide. The development procedure comprised a development phase for generation of the questionnaire and a testing phase for assessment of measurement properties: reliability, validity, and responsiveness. A total of 634 patients participated in this test survey.

Results

The KKS exhibited an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.931 and internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.973). The absence of a ceiling or floor effect suggested content validity. The correlation coefficient with Knee Society score (knee score, function score) and Oxford knee score was 0.599, 0.690, and 0.871, respectively, suggesting construct validity. Correlation with concurrent measures of physical function from the SF-36 ranged from 0.549 to 0.719 and those of mental function from 0.407 to 0.428. Responsiveness was evident with a standardized response mean of 0.74.

Conclusions

The KKS is a reliable and responsive instrument for assessing osteoarthritis. The limited validation studies suggest it is an appropriate evaluation instrument for patients with osteoarthritis and a floor-based lifestyle.     

Superior responsiveness of the pain and function sections of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) as compared to the Lequesne-Algofunctional Index in patients with osteoarthritis of the lower extremities

OBJECTIVE: To compare the responsiveness of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and a questionnaire format of the Lequesne-Algofunctional Index in patients with OA of the lower extremities. METHODS: Longitudinal analysis of the instruments' responsiveness [standardized response mean (SRM), effect size (ES)] in ambulatory patients undergoing hip or knee arthroplasty. RESULTS: At six months 36, and at one year 40 out of 43 patients undergoing hip (N=30) or knee arthroplasty (N=13) could be examined. Both responsiveness statistics revealed the same order of responsiveness. For both indices and for both locations, the pain sections were more responsive than the function sections. However, the WOMAC scales and the WOMAC global index (hip at 12 months: SRM=2.4; knee at 12 months: SRM=2.0 ) were more responsive than the comparable Lequesne sections and Lequesne index (hip at 12 months: SRM=2.1; knee at 12 months: SRM=1.5). CONCLUSIONS: Although our results are based on a German version using a self-report format, the WOMAC scales appear to be more responsive than the Lequesne index in patients with OA of the lower extremities.