The Preoperative ‘6 Pack’ for Patients With Ankle Arthritis

Category: Ankle Arthritis Introduction/Purpose: There is paucity of literature relating to information needs of patients in Orthopaedic Surgery, despite the fact that Orthopaedic Surgeons in the UK welcome the use of patient decision aids for joint replacement surgery. This multi- centre study aimed to study the information needs of patients for surgical treatment of ankle arthritis from 6 different hospitals across the North East region of England. Methods: Ethical permissions were obtained for this multi-centre qualitative research study. The study recruited 18 patients from 6 hospitals across the North East of England. They were invited to take part in patient focus group meetings. 3 focus groups were conducted with 4-8 patients/ group. These groups were facilitated by independent researchers using a semi-structured discussion approach. Patients were asked for their views on information needs for surgical treatment of ankle arthritis. The focus group meetings were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data was analysed using the nVIVO software with framework analysis. Results: The analysis highlighted 4 main themes: A) Factors influencing surgical decision making B) Information needs of patients C) Information provision and D) Patient expectations. Theme B is discussed in detail for this abstract. Primary information needs requested by over 70% of patients were: 1. Desire to meet with patients who had undergone similar surgical procedure 2. Information on post-operative rehabilitation 3. Information on return to work and driving 4. Experience of consultant team 5. Written information regarding procedures (advantages, disadvantages, survivorship and outcomes) and 6. Personalized decision support based on individual patient’s lifestyle and preferences. These components form the Preoperative/information ‘6 pack’. Conclusion: When developing information materials and decision tools for patients, providing them with the Ankle Arthritis ‘6 pack’ will enable them to make a more informed choice of the surgical options offered by the consultant