title: A multidisciplinary approach to total joint replacement.
abstract: A multidisciplinary team was formed to look at consolidating and improving patient education for patients preparing to undergo total knee replacement or total hip replacement. The objective was to encompass disciplines from across the continuum of care, beginning with the surgeon's office through postdischarge rehabilitation. Project goals for the team were to develop the "ideal" pre and postoperative orders for total joint patients, review and revise current clinical and patient pathways for the total knee replacement patient and the total hip replacement patient, add rehabilitation services to clinical pathways, and develop a patient education class and patient education booklet. This article describes how working together with all disciplines involved resulted in a consolidated order set, clinical and patient pathways that reflected actual care and processes, a user-friendly patient education book, and a multidisciplinary patient education class. The end products led to consistency in the quality of care across the continuum from preadmission through postdischarge rehabilitation for total joint replacement patients.
authors.affiliation: Preadmission Testing & Teaching Center, Florida Hospital Memorial System, Ormond Beach, FL, USA. saufl23@aol.com
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Saufl
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Owens
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: Beth
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Merrill
authors.forename: Laura L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Freyaldenhouen
mesh_terms: D019644:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip / Q000451:nursing / Q000534:rehabilitation; D019645:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee / Q000451:nursing / Q000534:rehabilitation; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D019091:Critical Pathways / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D010346:Patient Care Management / Q000458:organization & administration; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010351:Patient Discharge; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States