Patient-Reported Outcome Measure for Early Postoperative Recovery Following Lower Limb Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review

Background: Lower limb arthroplasty is an effective surgical treatment option for patients with moderate to severe arthritis who have not responded to medical management. However, surgical interventions can lead to postoperative consequences such as limited mobility, pain, and infection. Consequently, improving postoperative recovery holds significant benefits for patients, health care professionals, and health care payers. The purpose of this review is to determine if any recovery tools exist that can effectively measure early postoperative recovery after hip or knee arthroplasty.

Methods: The following databases were searched; PubMed (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), Medline (Ovid), Web of Science (ISI Web of Knowledge), PsycINFO, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts, Cochrane library, and SCOPUS. We restricted our search to English language articles and adult respondents. Data were extracted by 2 independent reviewers using a proforma spreadsheet, and existing quality criteria were applied.

Results: Our literature search identified 23 articles relating to development, assessment, and validation of 15 tools. Not all instruments demonstrated the same levels of quality. None of the tools found were specific to both the orthopedic arthroplasty population and early recovery periods.

Conclusion: At the present time, there are no fully validated tools to assess early postoperative recovery during the first week following lower limb arthroplasty. A brief, easy-to-complete, reliable patient-reported tool could be of great use. It could not only aid in assessment of recovery but could also evaluate the efficacy of perioperative interventions such as drugs or surgical technique and provide a foundation for evidence-based care.