Surprising Results of Survey on Joint Replacement

In a recent survey in which participants were asked about joint replacement, nearly half said they were postponing surgery because they were waiting for more-advanced surgical techniques.

Osteoarthritis is the leading reason for joint replacement. In the survey, nearly 70% of osteoarthritis sufferers experienced persistent daily pain, leading to lack of sleep, depression, and a decrease in work productivity. While 81% use an over-the-counter or prescription product to ease pain and increase motion, more than half felt their current treatment was only somewhat effective in reducing pain. Of those who discussed joint replacement with their doctor, 78% said it was recommended, but most of them spoke to their doctor more than a year ago and have yet to undergo the operation.

When asked specific questions about joint replacement surgery, more than 60% reported a concern over the need for additional procedures following surgery, 60% were afraid of incorrect joint alignment, 56% were concerned about the length of the recovery period, and nearly 50% were concerned about the pain associated with recovery. About 72% of osteoarthritis patients are looking for a treatment approach that is better than what they currently have, and more than 80% want their doctors to offer them the latest treatment approaches available. When deciding on treatment, patients are most likely to be influenced by its ability to ease pain (87%) and increase motion (83%).

As for surgeons, 41% report that fear of joint dislocation affects how often they recommend joint replacement surgery. More than 60% report that precise joint alignment offered by an integrated computer-assisted surgery (CAS) system is a considerable or major improvement in the field. While orthopedists are concerned about incorrect joint alignment, 67% report this factor rarely affects how often they recommend surgery. More than one third (37%) of surgeons would be more likely to recommend a patient for joint replacement if an integrated system was available in their practice.

The survey was conducted with 531 U.S. "baby boomer” patients and 106 orthopedic surgeons. The patients were 50-65 years old, diagnosed with osteroarthritis, and never had joint replacement surgery. The surgeons were board-certified in orthopedic surgery, had been in practice between two to 30 years, and treat at least five osteoarthritic patients a week.

The survey was conducted by Harris Interactive (Rochester, NY, USA), a worldwide market research and consulting firm, for DePuy Orthopedics, Inc. (Warsaw, IN, USA), which released the results.




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