Health related quality of life in patients with total hip or knee replacement.

Abstract

The Quality of Well Being index (QWB) and the SF-36 are questionnaires that have received widespread use in outcomes research. The relationship between the QWB index and the SF-36 was studied in patients receiving total hip or knee replacement because of primary osteoarthritis, and the health status of these individuals was contrasted to that of the general population. The QWB and SF-36 were both administered preoperatively and postoperatively and at 3 and 6 months in individuals with hip or knee replacement. A primary care university teaching hospital. Forty-three subjects with an age range of 30 to 78 years (mean 58 yrs, SD 10.6) who received total joint replacement, either hip or knee. The change in the QWB at 3 and 6 months after a total hip replacement or total knee replacement was most associated with the change in general health (.50), bodily pain (.72), and vitality (.62) of the SF-36. Both tools (QWB, SF-36) demonstrated similar levels of responsiveness and the scores were lower than the scores from the general population. The summary score of the QWB and various health concepts of the SF-36 respond similarly after joint replacement from osteoarthritis. The relationship between the change in the QWB and SF-36 depends on the time after surgery (3 vs. 6 months) and the type of joint replacement (knee vs. hip).