E-letter: Follow-up after arthroplasty of the hip and knee: Are we over-servicing or under-caring?

Smith, Lindsay K; Stone, Martin

Abstract

© 2018 The British Editorial Society of Bone & Joint Surgery. The number of arthroplasties of the hip and knee is predicted to increase rapidly during the next 20 years. Accompanying this is the dilemma of how to follow-up these patients appropriately. Current guidelines recommend long-term follow-up to identify patients with aseptic loosening, which can occur more than a decade postoperatively. The current guidelines and practices of orthopaedic surgeons vary widely. Existing models take up much clinical time and are expensive. Pilot studies using 'virtual' clinics and advanced-practice physiotherapists have shown promise in decreasing the time and costs for orthopaedic surgeons and patients. This review discusses current practices and future trends in the follow-up of patients who have an arthroplasty.

• Journal Article Type: Letter
• Acceptance Date: Feb 16, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Jan 1, 2018
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2018
• Deposit Date: Feb 20, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 2, 2019
• Journal: Bone and Joint Journal
• Print ISSN: 2049-4394
• Electronic ISSN: 2049-4408
• Publisher: British Editorial Society of Bone and Joint Surgery
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 100B
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 6-10
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1302/0301-620X.100B1.BJJ-2017-0779.R1
• Keywords: arthroplasty, follow-up, hip, knee
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/875966
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1302/0301-620X.100B1.BJJ-2017-0779.R1
• Contract Date: Feb 20, 2018