Using patient reports to assess health-related quality of life after total hip replacement.
Data on disease severity, co-morbidity, and process of care were obtained from the medical records of 356 patients without rheumatoid arthritis undergoing a first unilateral total hip replacement at four teaching hospitals in California and Massachusetts. Socio-demographic characteristics, functional status prior and subsequent to hospitalization, and improvement in health status were measured with a patient questionnaire 12 months after discharge. Completed questionnaires were received from 284 patients, a response rate of 79.8%. The questionnaire was acceptable to patients, reliable, and had good construct validity. The data indicate substantial benefits from hip arthroplasty. As expected, pre-surgical functioning was a strong predictor of outcomes 1 year after surgery. Controlling for pre-surgical functioning, age was not related to outcomes.
Cleary
P D
PD
Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School.
Reilly
D T
DT
Greenfield
S
S
Mulley
A G
AG
Wexler
L
L
Frankel
F
F
McNeil
B J
BJ
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D003953:Diagnosis-Related Groups; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006622:Hip Prosthesis / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*