Does Participation in Virtual or In-Person Preoperative Education Relate to Reduced Length of Stay After Total Joint Arthroplasty?

Background: Advancements in surgical procedures for total joint arthroplasty (TJA) have resulted in more effective procedures with more rapid recovery. To prepare patients for surgery, many organizations offer a preoperative "joint class," which has been associated with reduced length of stay (LOS). Virtual modes of education are increasingly favored for those having TJA. Purpose: To determine whether participation in an individually administered preoperative educational session ("Prehab") relates to reduced LOS or increased likelihood of same-day discharge (SDD) for those undergoing TJA. Additionally, to establish whether and the virtual mode of education provision is superior or inferior to the in-person mode with regards to LOS benefits. Methods: The author conducted a case-control study of 2532 patients who had a primary or revision TJA between January 2022 and August 2022 at a single institution. Data were obtained from the electronic medical record. A total of 1118 patients attended Prehab; 1414 patients did not. Patients were included if they were over the age of 18 and had a total hip arthroplasty (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA) during the study period. Results: Those receiving Prehab in any form had shorter LOS than those who had not. Those receiving virtual Prehab had the shortest LOS. There was no difference in the rate of SDD for outpatient-class patients. Conclusion: Preoperative education is associated with LOS benefits to patients undergoing TJA. The virtual mode of education provision is at minimum non-inferior, and may be superior, to the in-person mode. The lack of statistically significant between-group differences for SDD outcomes may be explained by a lack of SDD-specific educational content provided during Prehab.