Description
Title: Does the psychology of not wanting total knee arthroplasty decrease postoperative satisfaction?
Objectives: This study aimed to determine whether the relationship between satisfaction and clinical outcomes differs between patients who want total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and those who do not want TKA and to determine whether the clinical outcomes and satisfaction differ between these patients.
Methods: This retrospective study included 324 patients who underwent TKA. The participants were divided into two groups according to their desire to undergo TKA: wanted group (n = 237) and unwanted group (n = 87). The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) and Knee Society Score (KSS), satisfaction score, and their correlation coefficients at 1, 2 years after TKA were compared between the wanted and unwanted groups.
Results: The correlation coefficient between the satisfaction score and the WOMAC or KSS (function score) of the unwanted group was higher than that of the wanted group at 1,2 years after TKA (1 year WOMAC: wanted, -0.660; unwanted, -0.750; KSS function score: wanted, 0.466; unwanted, 0.759) (2 year WOMAC: wanted, -0.463; unwanted, -0.741; KSS knee score: wanted, 0.275; unwanted, 0.525). The satisfaction scores of the wanted and unwanted groups were 28.9 and 23.5, respectively (P < 0.001), at 1 year after TKA and 30.3 and 29.3, respectively (P = 0.575), at 2 years after TKA. There was no significant difference in WOMAC or KSS between the wanted and unwanted groups.
Conclusions: Patients who did not want TKA were more dependent on postoperative outcomes in evaluating satisfaction than patients who did want TKA, resulting in lower early postoperative satisfaction.
Acknowledgement: This study was supported by a VHS Medical Center Research Grant(VHSMC 23053), Republic of Korea.
