The Impact of Web-Based Education on Self-Care Power, Self-Efficacy, and Quality of Life in Knee Arthroplasty Patients.

Summary

The knee joint, which we use actively every day, is the largest joint in our body that bears the weight, allowing various movements such as walking, running, squatting, and standing. It involves the largest load-bearing structures in the body, including bones, cartilage, surrounding muscles, and ligaments, facilitating the mobilization of the joint. Due to constant use, the knee joint is susceptible to injuries and wear. Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) surgery involves replacing a degenerated joint surface, often due to conditions like osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, with a metal or polyethylene prosthesis. TKA, a widely used and highly successful surgical intervention in recent years, reduces pain, enhances functional range of motion, and improves independence and quality of life. Severe pain following TKA surgery restricts the movement of the knee joint and daily life activities, leading to the patient's inadequacy in self-care. Patients undergoing TKA surgery often face a lack of information after discharge. This lack of knowledge, coupled with uncertainty about the disease, limits the patient's self-efficacy. As the self-care power diminishes for patients struggling with daily life activities, their self-efficacy is negatively affected. The continuity of education becomes crucial since the verbal and written instructions given after surgery may not be sustained, causing a gradual decline in an individual's self-efficacy. As seen in the literature, studies have shown that postoperative pain, swelling, joint stiffness, fear, and movement limitations negatively impact the quality of life for patients undergoing TKA. Consequently, the self-care capacity, self-efficacy levels, and quality of life for individuals who have undergone TKA are adversely affected, as indicated in the literature.Ensuring continuity of care at home is crucial not only during the early postoperative period in the clinic but also after discharge. The nurse plays a significant role as an educator/advisor after discharge. The nurse provides counseling to patients discharged after Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) on pain management, disease progression, rehabilitation process, exercises, and considerations during daily activities (such as walking, bathing, toileting). Additionally, the nurse offers guidance on late-stage complications that may arise at home due to surgery and situations requiring hospitalization. While web-based educational interventions have been conducted for various patient groups, a web-based education program specifically for TKA surgery has not been identified. Having web-based post-TKA patient education allows continuous monitoring, assesses attendance and effectiveness remotely, and enables individuals to convey requests and questions to researchers through live support, ultimately enhancing the effectiveness of education. This approach is believed to prevent complications, reduce patient care costs and readmissions, increase patients' self-sufficiency in self-care, and consequently elevate their self-efficacy levels and quality of life. Close monitoring of postoperative patients is expected to improve their quality of life and self-care abilities, leading to increased satisfaction with healthcare services.

Conditions

• Knee Arthroplasty

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Web-based education

The patient discharged after knee arthroplasty surgery will attend a follow-up appointment 15 days later, and during this visit, they will be granted permission to resume work. The patient will receive detailed information about accessing, entering, and using the web-based training. Scales with pre-test data will be completed by the patient. They will be encouraged to log in at least twice a week, and the patient will be monitored for a total of 1 month (4 weeks). After one month, the patient will be asked to fill out the scales again.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• KTO Karatay University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Serap SAYAR, PhD · KTO Karatay University

• Esra Nur BOZTAŞ, MScN · Konya City Hospital

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

TRIPLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-03-01

Primary Completion

2024-10-30

Completion

2025-01-10

Countries

• Turkey (Türkiye)

Study Locations