Clinical and cost-effectiveness of earlier discharge from acute hospital after total joint arthroplasty.

Background: Reducing length of stay has been proposed as a key component of policies that aim to meet demand and minimize costs associated with total joint arthroplasty. However, few studies explore shifting of healthcare utilization when length of stay is shortened.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study examined patients undergoing primary, total hip and knee arthroplasty for osteoarthritis to simulate a policy-level institutional reduction in acute hospital stay by 1 day.

Willingness to participate in placebo-controlled surgical trials of the knee.

Aims: Surgeon and patient reluctance to participate are potential significant barriers to conducting placebo-controlled trials of orthopaedic surgery. Understanding the preferences of orthopaedic surgeons and patients regarding the design of randomized placebo-controlled trials (RCT-Ps) of knee procedures can help to identify what RCT-P features will lead to the greatest participation. This information could inform future trial designs and feasibility assessments.

Does admission to intensive care post total joint arthroplasty result in poorer outcomes 12-months after surgery?

Background: It is unknown if total joint arthroplasty (TJA) patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) benefit from the surgery. This impedes clinical decision-making, resource allocation and patient informed consent. This study aims to identify whether admission to ICU post-TJA surgery is associated with poorer quality of life, pain and function, compared to those not requiring ICU admission.

Feasibility study of a game-based virtual reality intervention for functional prosthesis use training: A preclinical assessment.

Objective: This paper presents a preclinical feasibility study to investigate the efficacy of a game-based virtual reality (VR) intervention in the functional training of upper-limb prosthesis use.

Methods: The study compared the skill of 2 able-bodied groups (intervention and control, 5 participants in each group) using a surface electromyography controlled self-experience prosthetic hand and wrist through the Box and Blocks Test (BBT). The Intervention Group followed the game-based VR intervention for 4 weeks and underwent real-life (RL) BBT assessments before and after the intervention using the self-experience prosthesis.