Analysis of problems in the daily functioning of patients after hip arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND Awareness of functional status of patients after arthroplasty helps therapists to select suitable topics of education that will enable the patients to continue rehabilitation on their own and improve the quality of life among hip joint prosthesis recipients. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study involved a group of 60 patients (41 men and 19 women) after arthroplasty who were hospitalised in medical rehabilitation wards of Lodz hospitals. The average age of the patients was 65.0±11.2 years (65.4±11.5 years among women and 63.9±10.8 years among men). The functional status of the patients was assessed using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) for self-evaluation of disability, Barthel Index (BI) to determine the degree of independence in performance of daily living activities and a survey prepared by the authors. RESULTS The degree of disability of the study subjects may be assessed as moderate (mRS score: 2.8 overall, 2.6 for women and 3.1 for men). The distributions of disability scores indicate a clinically significant difference in the assessment of disability level between women and men. The functional status of patients with regard to performance of daily living activities was evaluated as moderately severe (BI: 77.7±18.2 overall, 76.8±17.2 for women, 79.5±16.6 for men). The women after hip arthroplasty assessed their ability to dress and undress as significantly poorer than the men did. CONCLUSIONS 1. The patients assessed their functional status as moderate disability. 2. The study participants faced the most serious problems with bathing, walking up and down stairs, grooming, and dressing and undressing. 3. The women assessed their ability to dress and undress as significantly poorer than the men did. 4. Physiotherapists and nurses were indicated as the main sources of education.