Patient-reported outcome after fast-track knee arthroplasty

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe patient-related functional outcomes after fast-track total knee arthroplasty and unicompartmental knee arthroplasty. Furthermore, we wanted to assess physical areas where an additional need for rehabilitation could be identified, and finally, we wanted to describe the association between physical function, health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) and patient satisfaction. METHODS: The study consisted of 211 consecutive fast-track patients of which none received additional rehabilitation beyond an instructional exercise plan at discharge, which was adjusted at one outpatient visit. The patients filled in 3 questionnaires (EQ-5D, SF36 and a disease-specific questionnaire) at 2 time points before the operation and 2 time points after the operation. The observed results were compared to normative population data for EQ-5D and SF36. RESULTS: Four months after the operation, the patients had reached a HRQOL level of 0.82 (SD 0.15), which was lower than the background population norm of 0.85 (n.s.), whereas it equaled the population norm at 12 months (n.s.). For SF36, physical function was 62.8 (SD 23.0) at 4 months and 66.2 (SD 24.1) at 12 months, which was lower than the background population norm of 75.0 (P