Abstract
The rate of satisfaction after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is consistently reported
around 80%, leaving one in five patients unsatisfied to some extent. Fulfillment of
expectations is reported as the strongest predictor of treatment satisfaction. In
this study, we aimed to evaluate what Dutch orthopedic surgeons assume are realistic
expectations for recovery 1 year after TKA. We invited the members of the Dutch Knee
Society (DKS) to fill out a web-based questionnaire. For expectation measurement,
the validated Dutch version of the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) knee replacement
expectations survey was used. A total of 150 invitations were successfully sent; 84
orthopedic surgeons responded (56%). The overall HSS knee replacement expectation
score was 66.0 (standard deviation, 14.0) on a 0 to 100 scale. Most improvement was
predicted for the items “pain relief” and “walking short distances.” Expectations
related to patients' ability to kneel or squat after TKA were scored poorly. To the
opinion of the members of the DKS, after TKA improvement can be expected in domains
of pain, function, activities, and psychological wellbeing. Return to normal is not
likely to occur, especially in demanding physical activities.
Keywords
total knee arthroplasty - expectations - outcome