Feasibility testing of a standardised virtual clinic for follow-up of patients after hip and knee arthroplasty.
Ann R Coll Surg Engl
; 105(3): 252-262, 2023 Mar.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35975843
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Over 200,000 hip and knee total joint arthroplasties (TJAs) are performed annually in England and Wales. UK guidelines recommend regular follow-up because missed early failure can result in complex revision surgery, which places additional burden on overstretched orthopaedic services. This study evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of an expert, consensus-based, standardised virtual clinic (VC) approach for TJA follow-up.METHODS:
Five UK secondary care orthopaedic centres implemented a standardised VC. Feedback was obtained through patient satisfaction questionnaires and telephone interviews with arthroplasty care practitioners. Key stakeholders subsequently attended an expert discussion forum to achieve consensus on the final VC format and to address obstacles identified during testing.RESULTS:
From 19 June 2018 to 11 December 2018, 561 TJA patients [mean age (SD) 70 (9.4) years, 57.8% female, 69.0% hip TJA, 1-28 years postsurgery (median 5 years)] completed a VC. Of these 561 patients, 82.2% were discharged without attending an outpatient appointment and 46 (8.8%) required early face-to-face consultant review. Patient satisfaction with the VC was high (156/188; 83.0%); over 70% of patients indicated a preference for the VC.DISCUSSION:
This feasibility study suggested significant resource savings, including time spent by consultant orthopaedic surgeons in outpatient clinics, hospital transport and an estimated saving of up to two-thirds of usual clinic-allotted time. The expert discussion forum provided helpful feedback for supporting more efficient implementation of the VC.CONCLUSIONS:
A standardised VC is a feasible alternative to outpatient clinics for the follow-up of hip and knee TJA patients, and is acceptable to key stakeholders, including patients.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip
/
Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee
Type of study:
Guideline
/
Qualitative_research
Limits:
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
En
Journal:
Ann R Coll Surg Engl
Year:
2023
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United kingdom