Thresholds for meaningful improvement in WOMAC scores need to be adjusted to patient characteristics after hip and knee replacement.

Kuklinski, David; Marques, Carlos J; Bohlen, Karina; Westphal, Karl C; Lampe, Frank; Geissler, Alexander · J Orthop · 2022

retrospective_cohort · Level III

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Abstract

To calculate unstratified and patient-specific meaningful improvement (MI) and patient acceptable symptom states (PASS) for the WOMAC total score in patients after total hip (THR) or total knee replacement (TKR). A retrospective observational cohort study. Anchor-based receiver operator characteristics curves were used to estimate MI and PASS thresholds. Recovery paths were specific to individual characteristics of patients. An unstratified 12-months MI threshold of 28.1 (PASS: 13.3) and 17.8 (PASS: 15.8) for patients after THR and TKR, respectively, would unfairly detect critical recovery paths. Thresholds for treatment success need to be as patient-specific as possible.

Anatomy