We evaluated the effect of total hip arthroplasty on patient quality of life.
The study included 30 patients (6 men, 24 women; mean age 62 years; range 36 to 82 years) undergoing total hip arthroplasty. The Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36-Item Health Survey (SF-36) was administered to the patients before and after 1.5 and 3 months of surgery. Special attention was given to provide the patients with sufficient information on surgery and postoperative rehabilitation program.
All the patients returned to their daily activities within six weeks postoperatively. SF-36 scores obtained after three months of surgery showed significant improvement in all SF-36 subscales compared to those obtained preoperatively and 1.5 months after surgery (p<0.05). Postoperative patient satisfaction was not correlated with sex, age, socioeconomic status, and education level of the patients. The presence of accompanying diseases or previous operations did not affect postoperative quality of life scores.
Quality of life of patients increases substantially following total hip arthroplasty, with a corresponding increase in patient satisfaction.