Health-related quality of life in patients before and after planned orthopedic surgery – A prospective follow-up study

SummaryBackgroundThere are increasing demands on health care for both results and quality. Treatment outcome from the patient’s perspective is essential but not often demanded. The aim of the study was to assess Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) prior to and one year after an elective orthopedic intervention.MethodsHRQoL was evaluated by the 5-dimensional scale of the EuroQoL (EQ5D) with two additional scales, EQVAS and PainVAS in 676 consecutive patients undergoing 120 different elective orthopedic interventions. Descriptive statistics were used.ResultsResults showed patients treated for arthrosis with total hip and knee replacement had the greatest improvement in HRQoL. Patients that underwent spinal, upper arm and arthroscopic knee surgery showed considerable improvement. All patients experienced pain relief one year after surgery. Changes in the three effect variables EQ5D, EQVAS and PainVAS correlated significantly with each other.ConclusionsThe study provides an overview of patient assessment of HRQoL before and after some of the most common elective orthopedic interventions. Knowledge obtained from patient groups should help improve and individualize care both from a nursing and surgical perspective.