Factors affecting length of stay following total knee replacement: A clinical practice audit

SummaryThere is an emphasis on discharging patients as quickly as possible after surgery due to current United Kingdom (UK) government policies and for other reasons such as reducing the risk of acquiring infection in hospital and reducing the cost to the trust associated with longer length of stay. The target post-operative length of stay (LoS) at the study hospital, as agreed by the multidisciplinary team, is 5 days or less. An audit of 34 patients was undertaken, over a 3-month period, to see if the orthopaedic department was meeting this target, to examine whether the target was realistic and to highlight any areas that affected achievement of the target. The findings showed that more than half of the patients (68%) achieved the target LoS with the main reason for delayed discharge being dizziness and/or feeling unwell after surgery. Implications for patients and nursing staff, the Trust and future studies will be discussed.