Fulfilment of patients’ knowledge expectations in connection with hip or knee replacement – a Nordic perspective

• Objective: To describe and compare the differences between received and expected knowledge in patients undergoing elective hip or knee replacement in three Nordic countries, and to analyse if these differences are related to patients’ characteristics.Method: A descriptive, prospective and comparative survey of patients with osteoarthritis treated at two Finnish, three Icelandic and two Swedish hospitals (n=612). Patients answered questionnaires about their knowledge expectations (KEhp) before surgery and about received knowledge (RKhp) at discharge. These two parallel instruments include: bio-physiological, functional, experiential, ethical, social and financial dimensions of knowledge.Results: Among the 29% Finnish, 34% Icelandic and 37% Swedish patients (hip: 53%, knee: 47%) were 54% females and the mean age was 65 years. Patients` knowledge expectations were higher, mean: 3.6 (±SD 0.5), than their perception of received knowledge 3.0 (0.7). The difference between expected and received knowledge was larger in Sweden -0.9(0.8) compared with Finland -0.4(0.8) and Iceland -0.5(0.7) (p<0.001) but not statistically different between patients having hip or knee replacement. Patients perceived having received most bio-physiological -0.3(0.6) and functional -0.3(0.6) knowledge but least financial -1.2(1.2) knowledge. A relationship was found between the difference of expected and received knowledge and whether the hospital stay was as expected. For patients undergoing hip replacement this difference was also related to the level of education, for knee replacement patients if they had their first arthroplasty and employment in social or health care.Conclusions: Patients expect multidimensional knowledge during hospital stay which was inadequately met. Assessing patients’ knowledge needs could improve patient education.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences (hsv//eng)

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