Efficacy of educating patients in rehabilitation phase

Title

Assessing the efficacy of educating patients on a day-to-day basis with an app in the first 4 weeks after total knee replacement surgery: Randomized Controlled Trial

Participating hospitals
Background

In modern medicine patients are often being discharged from the hospital within 2 or 3 days after their total knee replacement surgery. In order for patients to be able to manage their new home situation, they are provided with information about pain management, physiotherapy exercises, wound care and everyday things like taking a shower. This information is provided to patients by doctors, nurses and physio therapists. Patients however are merely capable of processing all the information and therefor often leave the hospital with limited knowledge and confidence to take care for themselves.
Objective

This study aimed to determine whether using an app to offer patients day-to-day education might increase their self-management, pain-management, satisfaction with information and functional outcomes.

Methods

A surgeon-blinded randomized controlled trial was conducted with 202 patients who underwent knee replacement surgery in one of the 5 participating hospitals. The primary outcome was patient’s level of self-management. Secondary outcomes included satisfaction, perceived involvement in recovery by the hospital, pain management, performing physio therapy exercises and knee functional outcome.
Results

In total, 105 patients were enrolled in the app group and 97 in the control group. Preliminary results indicate a significant difference from week onwards for self-management and satisfaction, in favor of the app group. From week 2 onwards, (significant) differences are demonstrated for the other outcomes.
Conclusion

Providing patients with an app to offer them day-to-day education after their total knee replacement surgery, seems to be a valuable addition to the standard of care. It not only increases self-management, satisfaction and pain-management but has a significant impact on knee outcome scores as well.

Author information

Thomas Timmers MSc ; Loes Janssen, PhD ; Walter van der Weegen, PhD ; Dirk Das MD ; Arjen Plat MD ; Babette van der Zwaard PhD ; Iris van Oost MSc ; Willem-Jan Marijnissen MD PhD ; Jan-Willen Swen MD ; Bregje Thomassen PhD; Okke Lambers Heerspink MD PhD