Perceptions of physiotherapy provision of 2085 patients following primary joint replacement

Abstract

Joint replacement is the end-stage surgical procedure forsevere osteoarthritis of the hip or knee, and is considered tobe an effective intervention for pain relief and restoration offunctional ability [1,2]. Integral to the care pathway for jointreplacementpatientsistheprovisionofphysiotherapy,whichaims to improve both short- and long-term functional out-comes,althoughresearchhasfoundthatneitherpre-operativeorinpatientphysiotherapyimprovefunctionaloutcomesafterjoint replacement effectively [3,4]. There is evidence thatphysiotherapy after discharge facilitates more rapid recov-ery of range of motion, but provides no long-term benefits[5–7]. However, more rigorous research is required in thisarea.Another area of physiotherapy that is under researchedis the exploration of patients’ perceptions of physiotherapy.With the dramatic predicted increase in the demand for jointreplacement over the next 25 years [8], it is imperative thatareas of patient dissatisfaction with physiotherapy are iden-tified. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine ifthe provision of physiotherapy for primary joint replacementwas perceived as adequate by patients.