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. 2023 Jun;82(6):135-140.

Preoperative Educational Classes in Elderly Patients May Not be Necessary Prior to Elective Joint Arthroplasty

Maveric K I L Abella  1 , Dylan R Y Lawton  2 , Krystin K Wong  2 , Scott T Nishioka  2 , Samantha N Andrews  2   3 , Cass K Nakasone  2   3
Affiliations

Preoperative Educational Classes in Elderly Patients May Not be Necessary Prior to Elective Joint Arthroplasty

Maveric K I L Abella et al. Hawaii J Health Soc Welf. 2023 Jun.

Abstract

Preoperative arthroplasty classes decrease complications and readmissions, however, in-person classes are inconvenient for elderly patients with mobility limitations. This retrospective review included 232 patients (305 joints) with in-person preoperative educational classes (IPC) and 155 patients (192 joints) with telephone preoperative educational classes (TC). Compared to IPC, TC patients had a shorter length of stay (P<.009), but a greater percentage made at least one postoperative clinic call (22.8% vs 40%; P<.001). No differences were noted in complications, but emergency room visits significantly decreased for total knee TC patients (P=.039). The increase in clinic calls may be addressed through focused changes to the preoperative telephone dialogue, providing a safe and efficient alternative to IPCs.

Keywords: Elective Joint Arthroplasty; Preoperative Education.

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Conflict of interest statement

None of the authors identify a conflict of interest.

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