Dataset Information

Why don't patients seek help for chronic post-surgical pain after knee replacement? A qualitative investigation.

ABSTRACT: Background: Although many people are satisfied with their outcome after total knee replacement surgery for osteoarthritis, around 20% report chronic post-surgical pain. People are often disappointed and unsure about whether their pain is normal and what can be done about it. Given the high prevalence of long-term post-operative pain after knee replacement, there is potentially a large hidden population with an unaddressed need for care.

Objective: In this study, we focus on understanding why some people choose not to consult health care for chronic post-surgical pain after knee replacement.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with people who had received total knee replacement, at either of two National Health Service hospitals in the United Kingdom, and who had chronic post-surgical pain (n = 34, age 55-93 years). Data were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed thematically.

Results: We found an overall sense of futility amongst participants who believed that nothing further could be done for their on-going pain. People's perception of their pain was often discordant with that of surgeons and physicians. Other factors that contributed to decisions not to seek help included low expectations about effectiveness and the risks involved in further treatment, treatment burden, participants' prioritization of other health conditions and views about candidacy. Many accepted their on-going pain.

Conclusion: Our study indicates why some people with chronic pain after knee replacement do not seek further health care. Understanding patients' beliefs and expectations about chronic post-surgical pain can inform approaches that might enable people to seek help in the future.

SUBMITTER: Moore AJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7696127 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Why don't patients seek help for chronic post-surgical pain after knee replacement? A qualitative investigation.

Moore Andrew J AJ Gooberman-Hill Rachael R

Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy 20200709 5

<h4>Background</h4>Although many people are satisfied with their outcome after total knee replacement surgery for osteoarthritis, around 20% report chronic post-surgical pain. People are often disappointed and unsure about whether their pain is normal and what can be done about it. Given the high prevalence of long-term post-operative pain after knee replacement, there is potentially a large hidden population with an unaddressed need for care.<h4>Objective</h4>In this study, we focus on understa ...[more]

PMID: 32648336

Similar Datasets

Project description:ObjectiveTo identify postoperative patient-related risk factors for chronic pain after total knee replacement (TKR).DesignThe systematic review protocol was registered on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42016041374). MEDLINE, Embase and PsycINFO were searched from inception to October 2016 with no language restrictions. Key articles were also tracked in the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) Web of Science. Cohort studies evaluating the association between patient-related factors in the first 3?months postoperatively and pain at 6?months or longer after primary TKR surgery were included. Screening, data extraction and assessment of methodological quality were undertaken by two reviewers. The primary outcome was pain severity in the replaced knee measured with a patient-reported outcome measure at 6?months or longer after TKR. Secondary outcomes included adverse events and other aspects of pain recommended by the core outcome set for chronic pain after TKR.ResultsAfter removal of duplicates, 16?430 articles were screened, of which 805 were considered potentially relevant. After detailed evaluation of full-text articles, 14 studies with data from 1168 participants were included. Postoperative patient-related factors included acute pain (eight studies), function (five studies) and psychosocial factors (four studies). The included studies had diverse methods for assessment of potential risk factors and outcomes, and therefore narrative synthesis was conducted. For all postoperative factors, there was insufficient evidence to draw firm conclusions about the association with chronic pain after TKR. Selection bias was a potential risk for all studies, as none were reported to be conducted at multiple centres.ConclusionThis systematic review found insufficient evidence to draw firm conclusions about the association between any postoperative patient-related factors and chronic pain after TKR. Further high-quality research is required to provide a robust evidence base on postoperative risk factors, and inform the development and evaluation of targeted interventions to optimise patients' outcomes after TKR.

Project description:Pain is the main impetus for osteoarthritis (OA) patients to seek healthcare including joint replacement. The pain experience in OA is heterogeneous and affected by factors across multiple domains-peripheral, psychological, and neurological. This indicates the existence of homogenous subgroups/phenotypes within OA patients with pain. We recently identified three pain phenotypes using a wide spectrum of pain-related factors, including structural damage on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), emotional problems, number of painful sites, sex, body mass index, education level and comorbidities (i.e., Class 1: high prevalence of emotional problems and low prevalence of structural damage (25%); Class 2: low prevalence of emotional problems and high prevalence of structural damage (20%); Class 3: low prevalence of emotional problems and low prevalence of structural damage (55%)). This study was to examine whether the total knee replacement (TKR) risk over 12 years was different among these three pain phenotypes. Data on 963 participants (mean age 62.8 ± 7.4 years) from a population-based cohort study were utilised. Data on socio-demographic, psychological and comorbidities were collected. MRI of the right knee structural pathology was performed. TKR history was ascertained by linking to the Australian Orthopedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry. Latent class analysis and the Cox proportional hazards model were applied for the analysis. During the follow-up period, 41 right and 44 left TKRs in 67 participants were identified. In multivariable analyses, participants in Class 1 and 2 had a higher risk of having a TKR (Class 1 vs. Class 3, HR (hazard ratio) 4.81, 95%CI (confidence interval) 2.33-9.93; Class 2 vs. Class 3, HR 9.23, 95%CI 4.66-18.30). These associations were stronger in the imaged right knee but were also significant in the left knee. Participants within distinct pain phenotypes have different risks of TKR, suggesting that the identified phenotypes reflect distinct clinical subgroups with different prognoses. The risk for TKR was higher in Class 1 than that in Class 3, suggesting that pain/emotional status is a stronger driver for TKR than structural damage, and that selecting patients for TKR needs to be optimized in clinical practice.

Project description:PurposeFor patients with end-stage knee osteoarthritis, joint replacement is a widely used and successful operation to help improve quality-of-life when non-operative measures have failed. For a significant proportion of patients there is a choice between a partial or total knee replacement. Decision aids can help people weigh up the need for and benefits of treatment against possible risks and side-effects. This study explored patients' experiences of deciding to undergo knee replacement surgery to identify information priorities, to inform a knee replacement decision aid.MethodsFour focus groups were held with 31 patients who were candidates for both partial and total knee replacement surgery. Two focus groups included patients with no prior knee replacement surgery (pre-surgery); two with patients with one knee already replaced and who were candidates for a second surgery on their other knee (post-surgery). Data were analysed using Framework Analysis.ResultsParticipants described a process of arriving at 'readiness for surgery' a turning point where the need for treatment outweighed their concerns. Referral and personal factors influenced their decision-making and expectations of surgery in the hope to return to a former self. Those with previous knee surgery offered insights into whether their expectations were met. 'Information for decisions' details the practicality and the optimal timing for the delivery of a knee replacement decision aid. In particular, participants would have valued hearing about the experiences of other patients and seeing detailed pictures of both surgical options. Information priorities were identified to include in a decision aid for knee replacement surgery.ConclusionsPatients' experiences of surgical decision-making have much in common with the Necessity-Concerns Framework. Whilst originally developed to understand drug treatment decisions and adherence, it provides a useful lens to understand decision-making about surgery. The use of a decision aid could enhance decision-making on knee replacement surgery. Ultimately, patients' understanding of the risks and benefits of both surgical options could be improved and in turn, help informed decision-making. The knee replacement decision aid is perceived as a useful tool to be associated with other detailed information resources as recommended.

Dataset Information

Why don't patients seek help for chronic post-surgical pain after knee replacement? A qualitative investigation.

Publications

Why don't patients seek help for chronic post-surgical pain after knee replacement? A qualitative investigation.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets