Total hip improves 5-year QOL outcomes

Editor's Note

Total hip replacement patients experience meaningful and lasting improvement in quality of life (QOL) through at least 5-years after the procedure, this study finds.

The analysis included 188 total hip replacement patients at seven hospitals who were evaluated with a standard quality-of-life assessment, called the “Short Form 36,” from which SF-6D scores were calculated.

Results showed significant increases in SF-6D scores that peaked at 1 year after surgery; however, the improvement remained significant through 5 years of follow-up.

Incorporating SF-6D scores into postoperative assessments may make cost-effectiveness analyses considerably easier, the authors say.

Background: Following total hip arthroplasty, patients' perception of their postoperative improvement and health plays a large role in satisfaction with and success of the surgical procedure. The Short Form-6D (SF-6D) is a health-related quality-of-life measure that assigns numerical value to the...