Mejora del acceso a la artroplastia total de rodilla: experiencia de una unidad monográfica

Abstract

Introduction In May 2004 a specific program for knee prosthesis surgery was established, due to the high demand for this type of surgery. The aim of this study was to assess the outcomes of clinical and quality indicators obtained in a monographic hospitalization unit specialized in knee prosthesis surgery compared with the outcomes previously obtained in a standard orthopedic surgery hospitalization unit. Material and method The sample of this non-controlled community trial (before-after) consisted of the first 124 patients treated in the specialized unit and the last 124 patients treated in the standard unit for the same type of surgery. Age, gender, pain, length of hospital stay in days, movement at discharge, knee bending, comorbidity and complications were analyzed. Results Patients admitted to the specialized unit spent less time in the hospital (p < 0.0001) and showed better knee bending at discharge (p < 0.0001). In general the specialized unit attended patients with a greater number of comorbidities than the standard unit. Conclusions Creating a monographic unit specialized in the care of surgical patients with high prevalence could be a possible solution to this chronic problem in public hospitals. These units should follow a specific clinical pathway and should assess quality according to a group of indicators and objectives that allow continuous improvement.