Does shortened length of hospital stay affect total knee arthroplasty rehabilitation outcomes?

Abstract

Rehabilitation outcomes were compared after primary total knee arthroplasty between patients who participated in a hospital joint arthroplasty program implemented to decrease length of stay and patients who did not. Once inclusion criteria were met, purposive sampling was used to select subjects for retrospective medical records review. Range of motion and Knee Society scores at preoperative and 3-, 6-, and 12-month postoperative intervals were then compared. Preoperatively, there were no significant differences between groups. Program implementation reduced length of hospital stay by a mean of 1.3 days, which resulted in a decreased range of motion at discharge. No significant differences were found between groups postoperatively at all intervals. Primary total knee arthroplasty rehabilitation outcomes were not compromised by reduced length of hospital stay.