Observational studyInternational orthopaedics2026
Quality of life before and during the COVID-19 pandemic for people undergoing hip, knee and shoulder arthroplasty-nationwide results from the Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry.
Observational study in International orthopaedics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic produced a substantial reduction in arthroplasties, which could have affected patient quality of life. This study investigated quality of life in Australians undergoing elective arthroplasty before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
methodsUsing data from the Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry, quality of life was assessed in patients before and six months after primary total hip arthroplasty (THA), total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) using the EQ-5D-5L instrument. Patients with an EQ-5D Utility score less than zero were considered to have a quality of life worse than dead. Secondary outcomes included Oxford Scores, joint-specific pain, patient perceived change, responder status and patient satisfaction. Quality of life was compared before (1 July 2018-10 March 2020) and during the pandemic (11 March 2020-10 March 2023) using linear or logistic regression models.
resultsThe analysis included preoperative data for more than 24,000 THA patients, 20,000 TKA patients and 1,100 RTSA patients. Compared to the pre-pandemic period, preoperative and postoperative quality of life significantly reduced during the pandemic for THA and TKA, but not by a meaningful amount (adjusted mean difference ≤ 0.03 points, p < 0.001). The likelihood of having quality of life worse than dead increased during the pandemic but was only significant for preoperative THA (ORs 1.24 to 1.40, p < 0.02). For secondary outcomes, joint-specific scores deteriorated, and joint pain increased to a small degree during the pandemic for THA and TKA (p < 0.05), but not for RTSA. The proportion of THA and TKA patients satisfied with their surgery outcome increased modestly during the pandemic by approximately five percentage points, compared to pre-pandemic.
conclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic was not associated with a clinically meaningful deterioration in pre- or post-operative quality of life, on average, for patients undergoing THA, TKA or RTSA in Australia.
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