Abstract
Introduction: Total hip arthroplasty (THA) has proven to be one of the most successful orthopedic surgical procedures. Despite its effectiveness, many patients continue to experience pain and discomfort following surgery. Recent work has identified that preoperative mental health may negatively influence postsurgical outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between preoperative patient-reported mental health and postoperative physical function following primary THA.
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 445 patients who underwent primary THA between June 2016 and December 2018 at a single academic center. Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Global Health and PROMIS Physical Function 10a (PF10a) scores were collected preoperatively and postoperatively. Patients were grouped based on their preoperative mental health scores. Locally estimated scatterplot smoothing curves (LOESS) were fit to the data to examine trends in physical function over time.
Results: Patients with higher preoperative mental health scores had higher preoperative and postoperative physical function scores. Nevertheless, all patients experienced similar gains in physical function following surgery. Patients with the poorest mental health exhibited higher physical function score variability following surgery.
Discussion/Conclusion: Poor mental health should not be a contraindication for performing primary THA. Instead, surgeons should pay close attention to patients with the lowest preoperative mental health scores when considering their postoperative recovery. These patients may require more collaborative care to improve their mental health preoperatively and ensure better patient-reported outcomes following surgery.
Aris Paschalidis
Medical Student
My research interests include health analytics, infectious diseases, and artificial intelligence.