The Impact of Preoperative Education on Patients Undergoing Elective Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty: The Relationship between Patient Education and Psychosocial Factors

BACKGROUND: Preoperative education has been found to be responsible for patients having a realistic expectation of surgery as well as high level of satisfaction with their recovery. The Joint Academy offers preoperative educational classes for all patients undergoing elective knee and hip replacements. PURPOSE: The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine whether the education provided by The Joint Academy has an impact on anxiety, expectation, and preparedness in patients who undergo elective total knee or hip arthroplasty. METHODS: All patients who had total joint or hip arthroplasty over a 2-month period were invited to participate in this descriptive correlational study. RESULTS: Of the 49 study participants, 28 attended The Joint Academy. Those who attended The Joint Academy were more likely to hold surgical expectations that better correlated with actual experience (p =.425). There was no statistically significant difference between the groups for nervousness (p =.171) or feeling prepared for the surgery (p =.425). CONCLUSION: Offering education before knee or hip arthroplasty provides patients with an understanding of the expectations related to surgery.