259Post-Operative Guidelines Following a Hip Replacement: The Impact of a Patient Information Booklet on Patient Experience and Recovery

Abstract

Background: Best practice dictates that patients should be offered verbal and written information about their treatment and care following a hip fracture (NICE, 2011). Considering these recommendations, a new patient information booklet entitled "Post Operative Guidelines for Patients Following A Hip Replacement" was developed between the Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy Departments in an acute hospital in 2016. Method(s): The patient information booklet was introduced in February 2017 and issued to patients following a total hip replacement or hemi-arthroplasty. A study was conducted to ascertain the booklet's impact on patient experience and recovery. The qualitative aspect of the study involved patient satisfaction questionnaires and the quantitative aspect involved retrospective analysis, comparing length of stay and discharge destination from February to April in 2016 and 2017. Result(s): The patient satisfaction questionnaires have had a response rate of 40% to date with 100% of patients finding the booklet content assisted recovery and provided them with a better understanding of their surgery and rehabilitation. Of patients surveyed, 67% stated that it would be beneficial to receive the booklet prior to surgery. Quantitative data indicates that while average length of stay was not significantly different between 2016 and 2017 (11.6 days in 2016 and 10.6 days in 2017), 52% of patients returned home directly from hospital in 2017 compared to 43% in 2016. Conclusion(s): This patient information booklet is now established and in use within this hospital. The study indicates that it would be beneficial to implement this booklet preoperatively for elective surgery and then reassess discharge destination and length of stay. Further analysis of the impact of the booklet use post-operatively and other impacting factors on the quantitative data is recommended.