Educate patients more extensively to help improve surgical outcomes

In my department’s daily practice of performing hip and knee joint replacement, we changed an approach to preoperative patient education in the last 2 years. For patients who are scheduled to undergo surgery in the near future, instead of merely providing them with preoperative information about the surgery and potential complications, we now offer a full program with patient-focused surgical education at its core.

The joint replacement education we now provide is open-ended and detailed. It deals equally with improving patients’ knowledge of the surgical procedure as well as his or her well-being after surgery. The program also is designed to reduce complications, including deep venous thrombosis, deep infection, dislocation of hip joint prostheses and periprosthetic fractures with the goal of improving overall outcomes.

Click here to read the full article in the October Issue of Orthopaedics Today Europe.