P23: ENHANCED RECOVERY PROGRAMME – DOES PREOPERATIVE EDUCATION REDUCE LENGTH OF HOSPITAL STAY (LOS) IN PRIMARY HIP & KNEE ARTHROPLASTY

Total knee and hip arthroplasty significantly improve quality of life in people suffering from end-stage hip & knee arthritides. Enhanced recovery programs have shown improved outcomes following elective arthroplasty by decreasing patients anxiety, postoperative pain and reducing the length of hospital stay (LOS). The aim of our study is to evaluate the impact of preoperative education programs on length of hospital stay in patients undergoing hip & knee arthroplasty. Method Retrospective data was collected from a consecutive series of 520 patients' charts and Irish National Orthopedic Register (INOR) who underwent Hip or Knee arthroplasty from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2018, in Our Lady Hospital, Navan. The length of stay study compared two hundred and twenty-six patients in the Educational Group (EG) who attended the Hip & Knee School (Preoperative Education Class) with 294 patients in the Conventional Group (CG) who did not attend the hip and knee educational programme. Result We identified that Length of Hospital Stay decreased to 5.2 days in Educational Group from 5.5 days in Conventional Group (P-value equals to 0.26, statistically insignificant, t = 1.1093 df = 518), with a mean difference of only 0.3 days (95% confidence interval). Conclusion Preoperative education does not reduce the length of hospital stay in primary hip & knee arthroplasty. Take-home message Preoperative education has no role in reducing hospital stay in Arthroplasty patients.