Differences in health status of older people aged 65 and above after total hip replacement compared with the normal population: a cross‐sectional study

Abstract

Aim. The aim of the study was to describe the health status of older patients with osteoarthrosis following total hip replacement and to compare their health status with population norms in order to analyse the need for a rehabilitation programme after total hip replacement. Background. Total hip replacement is a very efficient operation in terms of pain relief and improvement of walking ability. However, after the operation some patients still report low health status. Method. A cross-sectional study including 287 older patients aged 65-74 and 75+ years who had had total hip replacement within the previous 12 months was performed. Patients from five Danish counties received a mailed questionnaire requesting information about their health status and demographic data. The Short-Form 36 measures eight domains of importance of health. The scores related to each dimension are transformed to an interval scale ranging from 0 (worst score) to 100 (best score). Danish population norm data were used as reference point. Results. In total, 287 (91.4%) patients responded. The patients completed the questionnaire 207 (114) days after surgery within a range of 10-360 days. In all eight health domains patients reported significantly lower scores than the age specific norm population. Conclusion. Our results indicate that health status is scored lower for patients after total hip replacement. This implies that there might be a need for further postoperative rehabilitation based on the identification of problems experienced by patients in the postoperative period. Relevance to clinical practice. Patients health status is a predictor for well-being, quality of life and survival. Older people need rehabilitation after surgery to reduce dysfunction and improve perception of health. Our results demonstrate a need for further studies examining problems experienced by patients in the postoperative period. Intervention research is needed before such a programme can be implemented.