A Comparative Study of the Effectiveness of a Preoperative Education Programme for Total Hip Replacement Patients

Abstract

This study examined some effects of providing preoperative education to patients prior to their hospital admission for a total hip replacement. The preoperative education programmes are organised and presented by an occupational therapist with the assistance of a physiotherapist, an anaesthetist, an orthopaedic nurse and a dietician. The content includes information on preparation for surgery, what to expect of admission, surgery and rehabilitation, and how to prepare for discharge. A quasi-experimental design was used to compare a group of patients who had attended an education programme with, as control, a group of patients who had not. The variables Investigated were length of hospitalisation, morphine usage, mobility independence and discharge preparation. The results showed that the patients in the experimental group had a mean of 4 days' less hospitalisation than the control group, required less postoperative morphine and achieved mobility independence sooner. The control patients' lack of knowledge of what to expect from their surgery was evident from the lack of preparation for their discharge home. Large financial savings were then calculated as a direct consequence.