title: Variations in surgeons' recovery expectations for patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty: a survey of the AAHKS membership.
abstract: Recovery expectations (RE) after total hip and knee arthroplasty (THA-TKA) influence outcomes. We surveyed AAHKS members to determine variation in surgeon RE. Four vignettes depicting patients with high and low expectations after THA and TKA were distributed with a validated RE survey. Responses were analyzed for clinically significant differences between surgeons and within surgeons. Of 1049 surgeons surveyed, 358 (34%) responded. There was a clinically significant difference in 85% (high-THA), 46% (low-THA), 74% (high-TKA), and 57% (low-TKA) of pairs. Disagreement was significantly greater in high expectation vignettes. Individual surgeons distinguished between high and low expectation patients in 76% (THA) and 72% (TKA) of cases. There was no association between surgeon RE and practice demographics. Wide variations in RE were observed, especially among high expectation patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery-Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY 10021, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Dy
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gonzalez Della Valle
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: York
authors.forename: Jose A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.forename: Thomas P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Sculco
authors.forename: Hassan M K
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Ghomrawi
mesh_terms: D019643:Arthroplasty, Replacement / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D009985:Orthopedics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D020127:Recovery of Function