BACKGROUND: Improving communication and information services for people receiving a total joint (knee or hip) arthroplasty (TJA) depends on the differences in patient communication needs and personal characteristics. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to further examine individual differences in TJA patient preferences regarding communication and information provision. METHODS: Nineteen patients participated in generative research, which meant they actively reflected on their TJA experiences and communication preferences through creative exercises (e.g., collage making). Audio transcripts of their shared reflections were qualitatively analyzed through an inductive approach. RESULTS: Some participants wanted detailed health education, others did not. Participants also reported different support needs (e.g., at hospital discharge or during rehabilitation). Moreover, participant preferences for social connections with care providers differed. CONCLUSIONS: An individual patient's mindset, his or her social support needs, physical condition, and medical history should guide the provision of tailored services.

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Purpose: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is usually effective, although not all patients have satisfactory outcomes. This assumes distinct recovery patterns might exist. Little attention has been paid to determine which patients have worse outcomes. This study attempts to distinguish specific recovery patterns using the Oxford knee score (OKS) during the first postoperative year. The secondary aim was to explore predictors of less favourable recovery patterns. Methods: Analysis of patients in the Dutch Arthroplasty Register (LROI) with unilateral primary TKA. Data collected up to one year postoperative was used. To identify subgroups of patients based on OKS, latent class growth modeling (LCGM) was used. Moreover, multivariable multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to explore predictors of class membership. Results: 809 Patients completed three OKS during the first year postoperative and were included. LCGM identified 3 groups of patients; ‘high risers’ (most improvement during first 6-months, good 12-month scores 77%), ‘gradual progressors’ (continuous improvement during the first year 13%) and ‘non responders’ (initial improvement and subsequent deterioration to baseline score 10%). Predictors of least favourable class membership (OR, 95%CI) are EQ-5D items: VAS health score (0.83, 0.73–0.95), selfcare (2.22, 1.09–4.54) and anxiety/depression (2.45, 1.33–4.52). Conclusion: Three recovery patterns after TKA were distinguished; ‘high risers', ‘gradual progressors' and ‘non responders'. Worse score on EQ-5D items VAS health, selfcare, and anxiety/depression were correlated with the least favourable ‘non responders’ recovery pattern.

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Background:The purpose of this study was to explore whether subgroups of patients with different functional recovery trajectories after total hip arthroplasty can be discerned, as well as their predictors, using data from the Dutch Arthroplasty Register (Landelijke Registratie Orthopedische Implantaten [LROI]).Methods:We retrospectively reviewed prospectively collected Oxford Hip Scores (OHS) up to 1 year postoperatively for patients who had undergone a primary total hip arthroplasty. Latent class growth modeling was used to classify subgroups of patients according to the trajectory of functional recovery represented by the patients' OHS. We used multivariable multinomial logistic regression analysis to explore factors associated with class membership.Results:A total of 6,030 patients were analyzed. Latent class growth modeling identified fast starters (fast initial improvement, high 12-month scores; 87.7%), slow starters (no initial change and subsequent improvement; 4.6%), and late dippers (initial improvement and subsequent deterioration; 7.7%). Factors associated with slow starters were female sex (odds ratio [OR], 1.63 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.14 to 2.33]) and smoking (OR, 1.95 [95% CI, 1.26 to 3.03]); an anterior approach (OR, 0.47 [95% CI, 0.29 to 0.78]) had a protective effect against a less favorable response. Factors associated with late dippers were age of >75 years (OR, 1.62 [95% CI, 1.22 to 2.15]), smoking (OR, 1.68 [95% CI, 1.17 to 2.42]), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade of III or IV (OR, 1.41 [95% CI, 1.05 to 1.91]), obesity (OR, 1.96 [95% CI, 1.43 to 2.69]), poorer EuroQol-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) Self-Care (OR, 1.41 [95% CI, 1.09 to 1.82] for "some problems" and OR, 2.90 [95% CI, 1.39 to 6.03] for "unable"), poorer EQ-5D Anxiety/Depression (OR, 1.31 [95% CI, 1.00 to 1.71] for "moderately" and OR, 1.86 [95% CI, 1.06 to 3.24] for "extremely"), poorer EQ-5D visual analog scale (OR, 0.91 [95% CI, 0.86 to 0.97] per 10 points), direct lateral approach (OR, 2.18 [95% CI, 1.58 to 3.02]), and hybrid fixation with a cemented acetabular implant (OR, 1.79 [95% CI, 1.00 to 3.21]).Conclusions:We discerned fast starters, slow starters, and late dippers after total hip arthroplasty. Female sex, older age, obesity, higher ASA grades, and worse EQ-5D scores were associated with a less favorable response to total hip arthroplasty, as well as hybrid fixation (cemented acetabular implant) and direct lateral approach. Anterior approach had a protective effect against a less favorable response. However, all subgroups experienced functional improvement following total hip arthroplasty.

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Objective: To investigate whether and how orthopaedic surgeons tailor communication during medical consultations based on perceived patient characteristics. Methods: Seven orthopaedic surgeons were repeatedly interviewed following an approach based on ecological momentary assessment. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the eighty short interviews. The association between patient characteristics and tailoring approaches was explored in a correspondence analysis of the counted codes. Results: Surgeons estimate patients' competence (illness management and communication abilities), autonomy, and interpersonal behaviour. They report tailoring communication in two-thirds of the consultations. The surgeons' perception was associated with the employment of specific approaches to communication: (1) high patient competence with extensive information provision or no changes in communication, (2) less autonomy and less competence with reassurance and direction, (3) high autonomy with discussions about pace and expectations, and (4) high sociability with communication about personal circumstances and wishes. Conclusion: The surgeon's perception of a patient influences communication during consultations. Future research should address whether these intuitively employed approaches are appropriate, effective, and generalizable to other medical specialists. Practice implications: Tailoring physician-patient communication can improve its quality. The novel approaches identified in this study can be used to formulate and test formal guidelines for tailored communication.

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Background and purpose — Little is known about heterogeneity in early recovery after primary total hip arthroplasty (THA). Therefore, we characterized subgroups of patients according to their hip function trajectory during the first 6 weeks after THA in a fast-track setting. Patients and methods — 94 patients (median age 65 years [41–82], 56 women) from a single hospital participated in a diary study. Patients recorded their severity of hip problems (Oxford Hip Score, OHS) weekly for 6 weeks after THA. Latent class growth modelling (LCGM) was used to identify patients with the same hip function trajectory and to compare these subgroups on patient characteristics. Results — LCGM revealed a fast (n = 17), an average (n = 53), and a slow (n = 24) recovery subgroup. Subgroups differed on the estimated weekly growth rate during the first 2 weeks (fast: 9.5; average: 5.3; slow: 2.7), with fewer differences between groups in the last 4 weeks (fast: 0.90; average: 2.0; slow: 1.7). Patients in the slow recovery group could be characterized as women of older age (mean age =69) who rated their health as lower preoperatively, needed more assistance during recovery, and were less satisfied with the outcomes of the surgery. Interpretation — We identified distinct recovery trajectories in the first 6 weeks after fast-track primary THA which were associated with patient characteristics.@en

Supporting teamwork in healthcare is a way to foster both the quality and safety of care, and better working conditions for all the team members. Although increasing attention is paid to this topic on a general level, there is less knowledge about its unfolding in orthopaedic units and its translation to interventions. OBJECTIVE: To identify concrete opportunities for teamwork intervention through a design thinking approach by analysing the teamwork dynamics of an orthopaedic team. METHODS: An adaptation of the learning history method, comprising shadowing, observations and interviews involving 26 orthopaedic team members at a top clinical teaching hospital in the Netherlands, was applied. A thematic analysis was conducted to derive themes that describe team dynamics and to subsequently extrapolate opportunities for intervention. RESULTS:We identified five themes and translated them into four design opportunities for intervention, namely: a) Improve daily rounds by reducing cognitive overload and promoting confidence; b) Improve collaboration by building empathy; c) Connect the patient with the professional team; and d) Support changes by fostering learning. Suggestions for concrete actions are presented for each opportunity. CONCLUSIONS: Opportunities to improve teamwork among healthcare professionals, specifically those in orthopaedics, revolve around the creation of common knowledge, the fostering of mutual understanding, and the design of tools and activities that support these processes.

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