Partial or total knee replacement? Identifying patients' information needs on knee replacement surgery: a qualitative study to inform a decision aid

A synthesis of qualitative research to understand the complexity behind treatment decision-making for osteoarthritis

Objective

Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease with treatment involving a multidisciplinary approach with pharmacological, physical therapies and surgery as options. Qualitative research can help us to understand the complexity of managing health conditions and this understanding plays a role in good clinical practice. We aimed to systematically search for, identify, and synthesise qualitative research exploring the experience of living with osteoarthritis, including decision making about joint replacement.

Methods

We comprehensively searched 4 bibliographic databases and used the methods of meta-ethnography to synthesise qualitative research findings. We screened 10 ​123 titles, 548 abstracts, and 139 full texts. We included findings from 118 reports (105 unique samples) of at least 2534 adults living with osteoarthritis around the world.

Results

We developed 7 themes: Becoming your own expert can be hard work; Living has become a careful balancing act; Medication is a double-edged sword; I have other things in my life to consider; You have to weigh up the odds of surgery; Surgery is the only effective option; and Surgery will give me a chance to live now. These findings have been drawn into a conceptual model reflecting a complex balancing act with tensions underpinning treatment decision making.

Conclusions

Osteoarthritis is framed as a world where patients become their own expert about their management and healthcare choices. Our conceptual model highlights key tensions underpinning treatment decision-making. These findings provide clinicians with insight of the complex nature of these decisions and how they can help patients through shared decision making.

The Voices of Stakeholders Involved in Precision Medicine: The Co-Design and Evaluation of Qualitative Indicators of Intervention Acceptability, Fidelity and Context in PRecISion Medicine for Children With Cancer in Australia

We report a novel approach of amalgamating implementation outcomes of acceptability and fidelity alongside context as a new way of qualitatively evaluating implementation outcomes and context of a precision medicine intervention. A rapid qualitative online proforma was co-designed with stakeholders and sent to a purposive sample of healthcare professionals involved in an early-phase clinical trial intervention. Data were analysed using Framework Analysis. A total of 24 out of 68 proformas were returned. Although some participants raised concerns about drug medication access issues, the main intervention was well accepted and understood across professional groups. Comprehension was enhanced through exposure to specialist multidisciplinary meeting arrangements. In conclusion, a rapid data collection tool and framework are now available to assess readily measurable, qualitative indicators of acceptability, fidelity of receipt and contextual fit within the dynamic precision medicine context.

Effect of Oral Tranexamic Acid on the Blood Transfusion Rate and the Incidence of Deep Vein Thromboembolism in Patients after TKA

Purpose

To explore the effect of oral tranexamic acid treatment on the blood transfusion rate and the incidence of deep vein thromboembolism after total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Methods

90 patients undergoing TKA admitted to First People's Hospital of Changshu City from January 2019 to January 2020 were selected and randomized into the control group and the experimental group accordingly (45 cases in each group). The control group intravenously received 20 mL/kg tranexamic acid before the incision was closed. The experimental group was given 1 g of tranexamic acid orally before anesthesia, 6 h and 12 h after the operation.

Results

The experimental group witnessed better perioperative indexes in relation to the control group. The experimental group displayed better postoperative coagulation function indexes as compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Remarkably lower postoperative vascular endothelial function indexes in the experimental group than in the control group were observed. The experimental group experienced a markedly lower incidence of deep vein thromboembolism in comparison with the control group (P < 0.05). The postoperative knee society score (KSS) score of the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group. A significantly higher postoperative modified rivermead mobility index (MRMI) score was yielded in the experimental group in contrast to the control group (P < 0.05). The experimental group obtained lower numerical rating scale (NRS) scores at T2 and T3 as compared to the control group.

Conclusion

Oral tranexamic acid is a suitable alternative for patients undergoing TKA in terms of reducing the blood transfusion rate, relieving pain, and accelerating the recovery of the patient's limbs.

A qualitative evidence synthesis using meta-ethnography to understand the experience of living with osteoarthritis pain

ABSTRACT

Osteoarthritis pain affects the lives of a large number of people around the world. Understanding other people's experience is integral to effective care and qualitative research can have an important part to pay in education and good clinical practice. We aimed to systematically search for, identify, and synthesise qualitative research exploring the experience of living with osteoarthritis in order to incorporate this knowledge into an educational resource. We comprehensively searched four bibliographic databases and used the methods of meta-ethnography to synthesise qualitative research findings. We screened 10123 titles, 548 abstracts and 139 full texts. We included findings from 118 reports (105 unique samples) of at least 2534 adults living with osteoarthritis around the world. We developed 7 themes from more than 600 findings: it is part of my life's tapestry; (yet) it is consuming me; it constrains my body and my occupations; I am becoming separated yet dependent; I accept, but I will not let it define me; (yet) this makes me feel less than the person I was. Our findings highlight the profound impact that osteoarthritis can have on people's lives and the struggle to hold onto a sense of self. They indicate that recognising these losses, and taking osteoarthritis seriously, is an integral part of effective healthcare. This finding may be transferable beyond this condition.

Patient perspectives of pain and function after knee replacement: a systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies

Introduction

Joint replacement surgery typically results in good clinical outcome, although some people experience suboptimal pain relief and functional improvement. Predicting surgical outcome is difficult.

Objectives

There is merit in better understanding patients' perspectives of pain and function to identify avoidable problems perceived to contribute to their outcome, to inform prognostic expectations, and to identify potential cointerventions to sit alongside surgery that might mitigate pain/functional problems. Here, we aimed to synthesise the available literature exploring perspectives of people with knee osteoarthritis about their pain and function following joint replacement.

Methods

Six electronic databases and 2 websites were searched. Two independent reviewers completed study inclusion, quality assessment, and data extraction. Data were iteratively synthesised using first-, second-, and third-order analyses.

Results

Twenty-eight studies were included. Four themes were identified; perceptions of pain and function were inseparable. Theme 1 addressed experiences of recovery after surgery, which often differed from expectations. Theme 2 described the challenges of the pain experience and its functional impact, including the difficulty navigating medication use in context of personal beliefs and perceived stigma. Theme 3 articulated the toll of ongoing problems spanning pain-function-mood, necessitating the need to "endure." Theme 4 encompassed the importance of clinical/social interactions on mood and pain, with reports of concerns dismissed and practical support missing.

Conclusions

Together, these findings show that numerous individual considerations beyond the technical aspects of surgery influence experiences of pain and function. A tailored approach addressing these considerations from the patient perspective could provide a basis for improved success of knee replacement surgery.

Comparison of an Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Patient Decision Aid vs Educational Material on Decision Quality, Shared Decision-Making, Patient Experience, and Functional Outcomes in Adults With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Clinical Trial

IMPORTANCE

Decision aids can help inform appropriate selection of total knee replacement (TKR) for advanced knee osteoarthritis (OA). However, few decision aids combine patient education, preference assessment, and artificial intelligence (AI) using patient-reported outcome measurement data to generate personalized estimations of outcomes to augment shared decision-making (SDM).

OBJECTIVE

To assess the effect of an AI-enabled patient decision aid that includes education, preference assessment, and personalized outcome estimations (using patient-reported outcome measurements) on decision quality, patient experience, functional outcomes, and process-level outcomes among individuals with advanced knee OA considering TKR in comparison with education only.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This randomized clinical trial at a single US academic orthopedic practice included 129 new adult patients presenting for OA-related knee pain from March 2019 to January 2020. Data were analyzed from April to May 2020.

INTERVENTION

Patients were randomized into a group that received a decision aid including patient education, preference assessment, and personalized outcome estimations (intervention group) or a group receiving educational material only (control group) alongside usual care.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The primary outcome was decision quality, measured using the Knee OA Decision Quality Instrument (K-DQI). Secondary outcomes were collaborative decision-making (assessed using the CollaboRATE survey), patient satisfaction with consultation (using a numerical rating scale), Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score Joint Replacement (KOOS JR) score, consultation time, TKR rate, and treatment concordance.

RESULTS

A total of 69 patients in the intervention group (46 [67%] women) and 60 patients in the control group (37 [62%] women) were included in the analysis. The intervention group showed better decisional quality (K-DQI mean difference, 20.0%; SE, 3.02; 95% CI, 14.2%-26.1%; P < .001), collaborative decision-making (CollaboRATE, 8 of 69 [12%] vs 28 of 60 [47%] patients below median; P < .001), satisfaction (numerical rating scale, 9 of 65 [14%] vs 19 of 58 [33%] patients below median; P = .01), and improved functional outcomes at 4 to 6 months (mean [SE] KOOS JR, 4.9 [2.24] points higher in intervention group; 95% CI, 0.8-9.0 points; P = .02). The intervention did not significantly affect consultation time (mean [SE] difference, 2.23 [2.18] minutes; P = .31), TKR rates (16 of 69 [23%] vs 7 of 60 [12%] patients; P = .11), or treatment concordance (58 of 69 [84%] vs 44 of 60 [73%] patients; P = .19).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In this randomized clinical trial, an AI-enabled decision aid significantly improved decision quality, level of SDM, satisfaction, and physical limitations without significantly impacting consultation times, TKR rates, or treatment concordance in patients with knee OA considering TKR. Decision aids using a personalized, data-driven approach can enhance SDM in the management of knee OA.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03956004.

Identifying patient decisions and related information needs during decision making related to total knee arthroplasty

Aim: Research regarding decisions patients make about total knee arthroplasty, apart from having the procedure or not, are limited. Understanding patient decision making and related information needs is essential for shared decision making. Methods: Focus groups with an online community-based sample identified decisions about total knee arthroplasty beyond the decision to have the surgery itself. An online survey was used to determine relative importance of five major decisions and evaluate related information available. Results: Patients did not feel they have enough information to make important decisions of surgeon, device type, surgical approach, facility, or timing, for their total knee arthroplasty. Conclusion: Although further research is needed to generalize these findings, physicians should consider these questions during shared decision making with patients considering total knee arthroplasty.