Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 May;32(4):619-630.
doi: 10.1007/s00590-021-03019-8. Epub 2021 May 30.

Patient beliefs and perceptions play a crucial role in the decision-making process when managing a meniscal tear. A qualitative systematic review of the literature

Imran Ahmed  1 , Fatima Dhaif  2 , Simon G F Abram  3 , Nick Parsons  4 , Charles Hutchinson  4 , Andrew Price  3 , Sophie Staniszewska  4 , Andrew Metcalfe  4
Affiliations

Patient beliefs and perceptions play a crucial role in the decision-making process when managing a meniscal tear. A qualitative systematic review of the literature

Imran Ahmed et al. Eur J Orthop Surg Traumatol. 2022 May.

Abstract

Introduction: There has been an increase in research on the effectiveness of treatment options for the management of meniscal tears. However, there is very little evidence about the patient experiences of meniscal tears.

Aim: To summarise the available qualitative evidence on patients' experiences and expectations of meniscal tears.

Method: A search of EMBASE, Medline, Sociofile and Web of Science up to November 2020 was performed to identify studies reporting patient experiences of meniscal tears. Studies were critically appraised using the CASP (Critical Appraisal Skills Program) checklist, and a meta-synthesis was performed to generate third-order constructs (new themes).

Results: Two studies reporting semi-structured interviews from 34 participants (24 male; 10 female) were included. The mean interview length ranged from 16 to 45 min. Five themes were generated: (1) the imaging (MRI) results are a key driver in the decision-making process, (2) surgery is perceived to be the definitive and quicker approach, (3) physiotherapy and exercise is a slower approach which brought success over time, (4) patient perceptions and preferences are important in the clinical decision-making process and, (5) the impact on patient lives is a huge driver in seeking care and treatment decisions.

Conclusion: This is the first study to summarise the qualitative evidence on patient experiences with meniscal tears. The themes generated demonstrate the importance of patient perceptions of MRI findings and timing of treatment success as important factors in the decision-making process. This study demonstrates the need to strengthen our understanding of patients' experiences of meniscal tears.

Keywords: Meniscal tears; Meta-synthesis; Patient experiences; Qualitative studies.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare that are relevant to the content of this article. The authors have no financial or propriety interests in any material discussed in this article. All authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organisation or entity with any financial interest of non-financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
PRISMA flow diagram representing the results of the search strategy
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Ahmed I, Radhakrishnan A, Khatri C, Staniszewska S, Hutchinson C, Parsons N, et al. Meniscal tears are more common than previously identified, however, less than a quarter of people with a tear undergo arthroscopy. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2021 doi: 10.1007/s00167-021-06458-2. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Thorlund JB, Juhl CB, Roos EM, Lohmander LS. Arthroscopic surgery for degenerative knee: systematic review and meta-analysis of benefits and harms. Br J Sports Med. 2015;49(19):1229–1235. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2015-h2747rep. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Katz JNL E. Arthroscopic partial meniscectomy for degenerative tears: Where do we stand? Osteoarthr Cartil. 2014;22(11):1749–1751. doi: 10.1016/j.joca.2014.07.016. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Abram SGF, Beard DJ, Price AJ. Arthroscopic meniscal surgery: a national society treatment guideline and consensus statement. Bone Joint J. 2019;101-B(6):652–659. doi: 10.1302/0301-620X.101B6.BJJ-2019-0126.R1. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kopf S, Beaufils P, Hirschmann MT, Rotigliano N, Ollivier M, Pereira H, et al. Management of traumatic meniscus tears: the 2019 ESSKA meniscus consensus. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2020;28(4):1177–1194. doi: 10.1007/s00167-020-05847-3. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types